Appreciating Things of Beauty
by Endless-Kaoru
Summary: The Nakahara household is charged with a new task: turn the contact fearing, ranch girl Shuiro Aya into something resembling a lady. The prize: Access to the Shuiro beach front stables. Well, at least she's not a 'Creature of the Darkness' DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1: Things of Beauty

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter One**  
Author:**Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing:**None yet. **  
Rating:**Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: G. **  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.  
**Warnings:**None**.  
Summary:** The boys are given a new project: Turn Shuiro Aya into a lady, in order to receive free access to the family beach-front stables. Well... she can't be as un-lady-like as Sunako-chan, can she?

**Appreciating Things of Beauty  
Chapter One: Things of Beauty**

Kyohei pressed the speakerphone button on the receiver, "Yes, go ahead, landlady."

"I'm sorry for not calling earlier, but my friend has sent her daughter to live there with you. I told her about the great job you did with Sunako-chan, and she wants Aya-chan to be a lady! Oh, if you make Aya-chan into a lady, her parents will give you free access to the family stables and beach!" the landlady laughed, and spoke briefly to someone else before returning to them, "Well, I have to go now, but Shuiro Aya-chan is expected to get there this afternoon! Good-bye!"

The line went dead, and the four boys stared at each other.

After a lull, Yuki cheerfully announced, "I've never ridden a horse before! And maybe if there's another girl around, Sunako-chan won't have to work so hard!"

There was a moment of discussion, and they grudgingly came to the decision that maybe this 'Aya' wouldn't be as scary as Sunako.

And then the doorbell rang.

They paused in confusion, and Ranmaru said thoughtfully, "I thought she was due this evening…?"

The doorbell rang again, and all four of them headed for the door, shadowed by Sunako. Through the window, they spotted an androgynous girl with auburn hair flowing down her back. She wore a loose t-shirt that hid her figure and baggy black jeans. Nothing extremely unusual about her yet.

"No way that's her!" Yuki proclaimed.

Ranmaru shrugged and opened the door. With a warm smile that would make most girls blush and stutter, he asked, "Hello. May I help you?"

She glanced up with unaffected amber eyes, "I'm Shuiro Aya. Is this the right place?" She didn't blush. She didn't giggle. She didn't even bat an eyelash.

The lack of response intrigued him, "Yes, the landlady told us you were coming. Please, come in. I'm Morii Ranmaru."

Aya entered, and brief introductions followed. Aya glanced about warily, looking vaguely uncomfortable.

Finally, Ranmaru smiled, moving closer to take her luggage, "Here, let me carry your things to your room, Aya-chan."

"Aya. Just Aya. And I'll carry my own stuff." She replied shortly, shifting her bags out of his reach. As almost an afterthought, she added a small bow and murmured, "Th-Thanks anyway, Morii-san."

He chuckled, "Ranmaru. Just Ranmaru"

Uncertain, she just nodded dumbly and followed him to her room. Passing Yukinojo, she paused to glance at his earring before lightly flicking it and grinning, "Heh. Cute."

It was storming later that evening. Sunako was in her room, Aya was taking a shower, and the four boys were in the living room. Yuki glanced out the window worriedly as thunder crashed, "I hope this doesn't keep up all night…"

At that moment, Aya came in wearing black boxers and a faded and torn green tank top that stuck to her skin. She stalked past the boys and went straight to the window, pausing to towel dry her hair. Staring wistfully at the storm, she announced, "Isn't this just the coolest storm ever? I miss the barn loft most at times like these…"

Ranmaru had barely registered her presence, buried in his book; Takenaga only glanced up, and Kyohei echoed "Barn loft..?"

"How is it cool? Rain is so cold, and storms are scary!" Yuki protested.

Aya glanced over her shoulder at him, "…You're scared…?"

The boy nodded, and she stared out the window again, sighing to herself, "It's sad… to fear things of beauty…"

"What?" he straightened, staring at her. The other three took a sudden interest in the conversation.

"Things of beauty… like flowers, and animals, and people." She turned to face him again, leaning on the windowsill to study his confused expression.

"What… are you talking about…?" he finally asked.

She was quiet, seemingly composing herself, before pacing forward and kneeling on the floor in front of his chair, between his feet. Her hand reached out to flick his earring again, and thoughtfully ran her thumb over his cheekbone. He blushed faintly, but didn't move.

Finally, she spoke, "Rain brings water, and water brings life. Life both brings and receives oxygen, and oxygen is a third of H2O – water. Rain." She paused, before continuing, "Rain is a necessary prelude to all things beautiful. Even if the weather is a twisting, raging storm now… it is eventually more beautiful than it was before. Chaos brings peace." She lazily crossed her arms and smiled.

Yuki was moved to tears, and went to hug her.

In a fluid, graceful motion, she stood and backed out of his reach. In a not-so-fluid, ungraceful motion, she tripped over Takenaga's chair and toppled backward. He caught her somewhat awkwardly, startled at the sudden appearance of the girl in his lap, "Are you okay?"

She blinked at him a moment, mute.

"Hey, Aya-chan… are you okay?" he shifted to help her stand.

Takenaga's hand gripped her arm, and she suddenly jerked away, bolting to the spot on the opposite side of Yuki, where she covered her face and cowered, "I-I'm sorry…! I--"

Kyohei reached over to her, hesitated, and withdrew his hand, "Hey, it's all right. It was an accident… You're not crying, are you? Come on… what's wrong?"

She held herself, looking up slowly, ashamed, "Y-You just… startled me. You look… like someone I knew…" she turned to the floor sharply.

"…Someone… you don't like?" Yuki guessed, hesitantly.

She stiffened and bared her teeth, making a noise that sounded surprisingly like a growl, "I hate him! I wish he'd just get out of my head and go away and die!"

"O-Oh?" Takenaga laughed nervously, wondering if he'd always get this reaction out of her.

"Why? Did he… cheat on you…?" Ranmaru asked from the other side of the room.

Aya's head whipped up to stare at him blankly, then seemed to regain her closed-off composure, "No. It's none of your business. I'm going to bed." She stood jerkily and left the room, hesitated at the door, and bid them goodnight.

* * *

A/N: Well? What do you think? If I get any kind of positive response, I'll post the next few chapters. 


	2. Chapter 2: The New Guy?

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Two**  
Author:**Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing:**None yet. **  
Rating:**Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: G, I guess.  
**Warnings:**None.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower , or _Drop Dead, Juliet!_, or anything that all ya could be interested in.**  
Summary:** Shuiro Aya's number one flaw as a female: she makes one heckuva male.

**Chapter Two: The New Guy?**

Aya was set to join them at school the next day. The boys had decided that once she was in the school uniform, and once they'd pinned her down for a quick makeover, she would quickly become one of the school's hottest young bachelorettes. There was no doubt that she could be made into a lady in appearance.

Then she came out of her room wearing the boys' uniform. She had a nice figure; they'd seen it only the night before and that morning, what with her prancing about in her thin tank top and silk boxers. Really, the girl had _no_ modesty. Her figure, however, disappeared under the jacket, and she suddenly looked like a rather effeminate boy.

"You're not going to school like that, are you?" Kyohei asked, "They won't let you in the school doors looking like that!"

"What, have I got cleavage showing? A bra strap? Looks perfectly fine to me,_mother_." She mocked with a grin.

"You do realize... that's the boys' uniform. Right?" Yuki offered.

She nodded, "Yes, I do realize that. But I don't want to wear a skirt any more than any of you do. Besides, the school approved it. At least I'm wearing _a_ uniform."

The boys glanced among themselves, then sighed and let it go. If they tried to debate it, they would only be late.

"Hey, hey, who's the new guy?"

"He's kinda cute!"

"Go talk to him, go talk to him!"

"Wow! They seriously think she's a guy!" Kyohei looked around, then back at Aya. She met his gaze but didn't say anything.

"Well, she does look like one." Takenaga reasoned.

Aya blinked and caught the blushing girl that stumbled to a stop before her, "Ah, you okay?"

The girl glared back at her friends who'd pushed her, "Y-Yeah. U-Um… are you new here?"

Aya blinked again, considered her briefly, then nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Isa Kikyo, in class 1-C." she smiled and bowed.

"Aya, same class." The auburn-haired 'boy' replied shortly, without formality.

Kikyo seemed undeterred, "Aya-kun, would you like to do something after school? M-Maybe we could… go see a movie?"

Aya's expression didn't change and she bluntly replied, "No thanks."

Kikyo looked startled, then contrite, "Oh, s-sorry, Aya-kun. It was nice meeting you…" she turned and left quickly. Many other girls look put out.

Yuki came up behind her and looped an arm around her shoulders, "Aw, come on, Aya! That's no way to make friends!"

She turned a light red and elbowed him in the ribs, "Who says I want friends? Get off'a me!"

Kyohei trapped her from the other side, sliding an arm around her waist and mentally grinning at the reddening blush on her face. She'd seemed so cold to them before. "But that's no fun…"

Yuki stubbornly refused to remove his arm, "But we're you're friends, right?"

"You're annoying… both of you." She glanced at Kyohei in agitation, "And keep your hands off my butt. You're the one that says I look like a guy."

"Actually, Takenaga said that." He leaned in, amused that she leaned away. Most girls would love this. "Hey, why're you blushing, _Aya-kun_?"

"I'm not blushing!" she denied, "I'm just overheating… It's really hot out, and having you two clinging to me isn't helping!"

Ranmaru and Takenaga just laughed, following the three into the school.

Apparently, Yuki and Kyohei's teasing had somewhat backfired on Aya. Girl's had decided that Aya – being male – liked boys; after all, 'he' had been blushing, and they called each other by their first names, without 'kun' or anything! The move had been interpreted by many Yuki and Kyohei fangirls to be Aya-kun drawing their boys away from them. These girls had instantly formed a mutiny against her presence. Other girls simply giggled at the 'boys love' scenes.

Aya could care less.

"Hey, Aya, over here!" Kyohei waved over the girl, and Ranmaru moved over to make room.

She sat down, greeting them before glancing down at her food. With a sigh, she picked up the cookie that had come with her lunch and waved it in the air, "Someone want this? Cookies disgust me."

Yuki took the offending sweet as if rescuing a small child, "What do you mean? How can you not like cookies?!"

She winced, "I dunno, I've never liked sweets. Is it such a tragedy?"

"What about chocolate? Everyone likes chocolate! Even Sunako likes chocolate!"

"Chocolate is the worst of them all!" she exclaimed, "I'd rather eat cardboard!"

"Whaaaat?! No way!"

As the debate continued, a girl wandered over with a small clipboard, pausing to stare, "Kyohei-kun, who is he? A friend?"

He glanced up, "Hey Sango-chan. That's Aya."

Sango watched Yuki name each sweet food in turn to find at least one that Aya liked, then turned back to Kyohei, "Our class is doing a play this year. Do you have any suggestions?"

The male looked thoughtful, then shrugged, "Nothing comes to mind."

"_Drop Dead, Juliet_ is good!" Aya announced excitedly, turning her back on Yuki. The blonde boy flailed in frustration.

"That sounds kinda… mean. What's it about?"

"You know Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_, right? It's a spoof on that, where Juliet takes over the entire play. It's hilarious!" she grinned in excitement, turned, and grabbed Yuki around the neck, dragging him forward, "And put down 'Toyama Yukinojo' for the lead role: Juliet!"

"What?! No way, nu-uh! I'm not gonna play Juliet! _You_play Juliet!Lemme go!" he struggled, and she just held on tighter.

Sango giggled, pretending to take note of that, "Then, would you like the part of Romeo?"

Aya smirked, then turned to Yuki with the most lovestruck expression she could manage, "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

Sango laughed with the three un-involved boys, and Yuki gaped.

Aya smirked again, "You look like a goldfish, _Juliet-chan_."

He snapped his jaw shut and looked away, "It… It's kinda weird that you have that memorized…"

"Oh, I memorized almost all of _Romeo and Juliet_." She smiled, then drew him close, "Would you like to practice the kissing scene?"

Sango – and several other girls that had been listening in – nearly swooned.

"I have my girlfriend." He frowned, cheeks pink.

Aya just laughed and released him.

"You're awfully frisky today, Aya. Good mood?" Ranmaru asked off-handedly.

"I dunno. Maybe. Try me?" she tilted her head and smiled sweetly.

He pretended to consider it, then turned back to his food, "Nah. Not my type."

She snickered and stood, turning to rid herself of her tray as the other boys exclaimed over _'Ranmaru just turned down a girl!'_


	3. Chapter 3: It Only Hurts When I Cry

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Three**  
Author:**Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing:**None yet. **  
Rating:**Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: Pg-13-ish  
**Warnings:**mention of non-con, torture, and murder. Not graphic, just mention.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** A bit of history comes into play, and Yuki learns something about his new roommate that completely changes his perspective of her.

**Chapter Three: It Only Hurts When I Cry  
**

Sunako cooked prawns that night. Aya had made an attempt at helping her – at the boys' prompting, because a lady should know how to cook. – but ended up banned from the kitchen for an offense she wasn't sure she understood.

Ranmaru looked up from the card game the boys were playing as Aya entered the living room, "I thought you were helping in the kitchen?"

"Eh… I'm banned from that particular room…" she mumbled something about complicated machinery and moved toward the window, staring up at the sky, "My cooking can be crossed out of your fantasy list."

Kyohei frowned at her hand, "…Did you burn yourself?"

"Ah, yeah. Not real bad." She showed him the red blistering mark at the base of her thumb.

"Uwah! That looks like it hurts!" Yuki cried, "I'll go see if Sunako has something for—"

"Nah, nah. I can't feel it anyway. Say, I'm going outside. I'm not hungry anyway; I'm sure you guys can split up my portion." She moved from the window.

"Outside…? But it's dark out!" Yukinojo began to look concerned. Aya only shrugged and retrieved something from her room.

A few minutes later, Sunako brought out the food, pausing to glance around. Aya's absence only puzzled her for a brief moment.

"She went outside. I'll take some out to her." Yuki offered and left with a small plate.

Yuki found the auburn haired girl leaning against a tree trunk, staring at the moon and clutching a stuffed dog to herself.

He sat beside her, placing the plate between them, "Hey. I brought food." She didn't respond, and he lightly poked the small toy, "Is that yours? It's cute."

She finally glanced over, eyes distant, "No, Inu-kun was my brother's."

"You have a brother?"

She turned back to the sky, "No, I don't."

"What? But you just said…"

She was silent for a moment, then asked quietly, "Yuki, could I tell you something? I've never told anyone before, not the whole story. Will you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Is something bothering you? I'll listen. Go ahead." He turned his full attention on her in an instant.

For the longest time it was as if she'd changed her mind about telling him. Finally, she began to speak, her voice low and hesitant, "I had a brother, Ryouko. He was two years younger than me, and he'd follow me everywhere, wanted me to teach him everything. If I did something, he had to try it too." She paused and took a shaky breath, "When I was twelve, I went out horseback riding. To my friend's house to pick up something I'd forgotten. I figured on getting home late, and so I told Ryo he couldn't come with, but he begged and pleaded and finally I let him. On the way there… we stopped. To rest the horses. This guy… he came out of nowhere and grabbed Ryo and said that if I didn't come quietly then Ryo would die."

"Aya…" Yuki breathed, reaching out to comfort her.

"I'm not done!" she seemed on the verge of tears, and Yuki quieted as she continued, "He… held us for ransom… for three weeks. My parents… they paid the ransom money, but the guy just demanded more. He would beat us. Sometimes until we were unconscious. He kept us in a locked up room, with no windows, and it always smelled bad. He'd always give us junk food, like… candy, and cookies, and tried to make us like him." She paused again, curling in on herself and taking a ragged breath, "He never raped Ryo; I made sure of it. The bastard didn't touch Ryo, because it was my fault Ryo was there; it was my fault Ryo had to sit there and watch him… watch him beat and rape _me_. But... I didn't protect him well enough. Ryo died because I passed out and couldn't protect him."

There was a moment of tense silence between the two, and suddenly she turned away from the blonde, "Think what you like of me. Go ahead and tell me how pathetic I am, because nothing you say or do can make me feel worse. I just… I had to say it. I had to say it sometime, and now I did, because you look like Ryouko and I know I have no right to call myself his older sister but I'm really sorry, I didn't… I didn't know…!"

"Aya… I don't think you're pathetic…" he shoved the plate away carelessly and moved closer to her, curling comforting arms around her, "You did the best you could, Aya. You couldn't have known any of that was going to happen… It isn't your fault at all, Aya; I'm sure your brother knows that."

She tensed, glancing at him, and with a shaky, almost panic-stricken voice asked, "Are you crying? Don't cry… Come on, please don't cry, Yuki…" she turned in his arms, awkwardly holding him.

He almost laughed, "You're so brave, Aya… to have gone through all that, and still be able to laugh and smile…!" he sniffled, "But since you won't cry… I'll cry for you."

She paused at the odd, somewhat childish logic, before sighing, "Then… thanks, I guess. For… listening."

Aya was more withdrawn than usual the next day, to the point where she hardly spoke outside of general formalities, and her expression was mostly blank and unreadable. Yuki, however, seemed to know the problem and went out of his way to make sure no one tried to pry.

"Yuki, tell me what's going on!" Kyohei nearly whined after an unsuccessful attempt to reach the girl, "Why is she so quiet? What did you do to her yesterday?"

"Nothing that you need to know about." Was all the blonde boy said in reply.

Now it was time to pull out the big guns, "Yuki, did you two do _it_ last night?"

"What?! Kyohei, where would you get an idea like that?! I _hardly_ know her!" Yuki's face turned a bright red at the implications.

"Well, you two were awfully cuddly yesterday at lunch… Maybe you two did it before, and you dumped her last night?" the boy's eyes lit up, "Yuki, you're going to turn into another Ranmaru!"

"Huh? What's this about Yuki turning into me?" Ranmaru conveniently appeared, followed by a curious Takenaga.

"Yuki and Aya did _it_, and now he dumped her. That's why she's so upset." Kyohei crossed his arms and nodded sagely.

"We did not! Stop saying that!" Yuki cried out, flailing helplessly.

"Then tell us what happened!"

"I promised not to!"

Aya appeared in the doorway of her room, leaning against her doorframe, "Leave him alone. It's a private matter, and I chose to confide in Yuki alone. There was no sex, or dumping, involved."

Takenaga placed his hands on Kyohei's shoulders and steered him away, "See, I told you. Now stop trying to butt in. Come on, Ranmaru."

Both Aya and Yuki looked thankful.

A/N: Thank you to my first reviewer, itachisneko-nya!


	4. Chapter 4: Fired!

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Four**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: Pg-13-ish

**Warnings: **Sexual harassment, and a little OOCness on Kyohei's part.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** Maybe keeping 'Aya-kun' around isn't such a bad idea…

**Chapter Four: Fired?!**

"What are you doing? You come to get me fired, too?" Kyohei glanced up with an irritated frown as Aya wandered into the sub shop. The morning rush of Kyohei-fans had yet to appear.

She blinked at him, "…You work here? I just got a job here today."

The boss, a woman in her forties, appeared, "Good, you're here, Shuiro-kun. Suit up and help Takano-kun."

"Yes'm." she headed for the locker rooms. Moments later, Aya and the boss reappeared behind the counter.

"Takano-kun…" the boss nearly cooed, "Show Shuiro-kun the ropes, would you?"

He nodded mutely, and Aya moved nearer him. A frown crossed her features, "Creepy woman… she wanted to watch me change!"

Kyohei made a noise of disgust, "She has a husband, but she's always hitting on me. Since she thinks you're a guy, you'll probably get that, too." He moved about, idly explaining various tasks.

Eventually, customers began to trickle in and Aya watched as Kyohei became more and more annoyed when most of the customers were girls come to check out the 'two hot guys.'

An idea hit, and Aya whistled, quieting the crowd. Everyone turned to stare at her.

Smiling, she spoke, "Look, if you aren't going to buy anything, get out! Do you want us to get fired, go broke, and become depressed because of you? No? Then scram! We're busy!"

A murmur went through the crowd, and finally the girls retreated in defeat with various good-byes and apologies. A few resilient loiterers remained, but were easily ignored in the face of actual customers.

She sighed, "Finally… peace and quiet…"

Glancing out of the corner of his eye as he assembled a sandwich, Kyohei said, "…How did you know that would work?"

"I may not be a model female or anything… but no girl wants the man of her dreams to be upset because of her. Besides…" she huffed, "It's stupid to assume that someone is perfect just because they look great. There have been serial rapists that looked like… like… male models!"

Kyohei just laughed uncomfortably, not sure if he'd just been insulted or complimented.

The boss returned as a customer left, drawing up behind Aya, "Hello again, Shuiro-kun. How are you doing? If you ever need _anything_, you can come to me." The woman's hand rested between Aya's shoulder blades, deftly sliding along her spine as she spoke. "Shuiro… I've heard that name somewhere. Do you live in the area?" The woman spoke directly into Aya's ear, voice low and purring.

Aya shivered and clenched her fist on the washcloth, voice breathy, "P-please…"

"Yes? Please what? Do you want something…?" the woman asked eagerly, leaning closer, hand slipping around the girl's waist.

Aya just shut her eyes and breathed raspily, overcome with sudden fear, "L-Let… go…!"

"Let Aya go!" Kyohei demanded suddenly, moving to pull the woman away.

Aya looked up at him, frightened, just as the woman's hand inched under the girl's shirt. Aya made a noise and tried to jerk away, face flushed with embarrassment.

What happened next, Aya wasn't really sure. The woman's hands were suddenly gone, and Kyohei yelled. The woman made a noise, and there were footsteps running away, and when Aya finally opened her eyes, she was on the floor and Kyohei was staring intently at her.

"Aya, are you okay? Did she hurt you? What happened?!" he demanded.

"N-No, I just… I got scared… I…" she turned to her hands, ashamed and confused.

Kyohei tossed an arm around her and squeezed briefly, "Come on, I'll get you a soda and we'll go home."

She nodded mutely and Kyohei left her there to retrieve her soda, and the two slipped out. Aya sipped serenely on the drink, occupying her mind with the taste, as Kyohei walked beside her.

"I'll have to keep you around more often." Kyohei said suddenly in the last leg of their trek home.

Aya glanced up, "Huh?"

"There aren't as many girls clinging to me as usual. I think it's because of you."

Moods lifted by the caffeinated drink, she glanced mischievously at the girls taking pictures of them, "Yeah, because we look like a couple. Hitting on a guy with a girlfriend can be scary, but hitting on one with a boyfriend is downright suicide!" she snickered, "Hey, wanna get your picture online?"

"What?" he frowned warily.

"They're taking pictures. If we do something outrageous, they'll post it online."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, like if we just start making out or something." She smiled sweetly.

Kyohei laughed, "Oh, you're just looking for an excuse to kiss me, aren't you?"

"And get that blasphemous tongue stuffed down my throat? No thanks." She taunted.

He drew himself up to his full height, "You're just afraid of my—"

"If you say anything about 'mad skills', I'll punch you." She cut off warningly.

He laughed nervously and didn't reply.

"I thought so."

After a moment's debate, Kyohei spoke up again, "Maybe you're just shy, then.

She rolled her eyes, "Now _you're_ looking for an excuse to kiss _me_."

"Well, since we're in agreement, let's skip the excuses, call it mutual, and go for it!"

"Horny." She laughed, "Who says I wanna _kiss_ you?"

He raised an eyebrow, "You say it like its some shady secret. Okay, fine. What is it you want to do to me?"

"You really wanna know?"

"Yeah, sure, why not?"

"C'mere." She summoned him down to her level. Curious, he obliged.

Tenderly, Aya cupped his face and drew him closer until their noses touched. He blushed slightly and tried to pull away, only to pause when she touched her lips to his.

Kyohei was left blinking when she released him and turned away, grinning like a fool, "Well, that got those nasty memories out of my head. Say, do you think we got fired?"

Slowly, he shook his head and straightened, ignoring the squealing girls, "I thought you didn't want to kiss me?"

"That wasn't a kiss… We merely touched our lips in friendship." She smiled, "I would waste my first kiss on _you_."

"Wh-What?! What's wrong with me?!" he yelped.

Aya mysteriously disappeared the next day. Her things were still in her room, and she hadn't said anything about leaving. For a moment, Kyohei had had a flashback of the serial rapist's attack on Sunako, and in his wave of panic, happened upon a scrap of paper in her room, lying innocently on her dresser.

"She…went home…" he said aloud rather dully, reading the note.

"What? Did you find something?" Ranmaru looked in, and Kyohei passed him the note. "I guess she forget to tell us."

Annoyed, Kyohei stalked from the room, followed closely by Ranmaru.

Aya didn't return home until later, with a dog at her heels and a small backpack. Her hair was windblown, and she limped slightly, supported only by her uncle and sheer stubbornness.

"Aya, you're back!" Yuki cried out, spotting her as he passed the front door.

She looked up and smiled lopsidedly, "Oh, hey Yuki."

"Young man, are you one of her friends? Could you help an old man out?" the man called out hopefully.

Yuki came over and finally noticed her limp, "Aya, what happened to you?" He looked from the girl to her uncle.

"Nothing, just a tumble with the horses." She smiled and tried to walk on her own only to stumble into the blonde, "Eh heh, guess I'm a little worn out. Sorry…"

"She fell off a horse and got trampled." The man informed him, pleading, "Take her to her bed and make her stay put, would you? I can't reason with her!"

"I'm fine, uncle. Just fine. Just a little sore, that's all. You worry too much… you know how parents are, right, Yuki?"

"Aya, if you were trampled, maybe we should take you to—"

"No, no, it's all right." She moved away stumbling unsteadily down the hallway and out of sight.

"I'm sorry, young man. She has her mother's bullheadedness in her. If I thought something was horribly wrong, I would have taken her to a hospital, but she seems okay. Tell her to call me tomorrow." Apologetic, he handed Yuki her bag and glanced at the dog, "She seemed down, too, so I let her bring Toki with. We already cleared it with the landlady, and Toki is a very well behaved dog. I hope no one's allergic."

Yuki smiled, "No apologies needed. Thank you for bringing her back… um… Shuiro-san?"

The man just laughed and bowed, bidding him farewell.


	5. Chapter 5: Adapting

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Five**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: G.

**Warnings: **Um… Kyohei is kinda OOC [again…**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** Aya decides that maybe Takenaga isn't all that scary.

**Chapter Five: Adapting**

Aya woke up feeling rather cold and stiff, and, for a moment, she imagined that this is what it must be like to be dead. With a little effort – her ribs hurt, and her head spun – she got up, sitting on the edge of her bed. Downstairs, she heard yelling and someone running, and the sound grated on her nerves, but she forced herself to stay still, waiting for the room to stop spinning. Her door pushed open and Toki came in carrying a dripping washrag in her mouth.

"Toki, what are…" standing unsteadily, she nearly toppled over as the room violently swung around and her stomach lurched. Stumbling and clinging to the walls, Aya managed to make it to the bathroom.

The racket downstairs had quieted, she realized somewhat absently as she flushed away the contents of her stomach and collapsed on the floor. Toki whimpered and nosed her cautiously, dropping the cloth.

"Aya? Are you up?" there were footsteps in the hall, and Takenaga peered in the open door.

Tired, sore, and ashamed of her current state, she kept her eyes on the floor, "Could you… help me up…?"

"Yeah." He came over to her and pulled her up, helping her along with an arm around her waist. She draped an arm over his shoulders and tried to walk.

When they reached her bed, Aya laid back and focused on the ceiling while Takenaga went after a trash can, "Does anything feel broken?"

"I'm fine, just… cold. And dizzy."

He hesitated briefly before reaching out to feel her forehead, "You… have a fever. I'll have Sunako make some soup."

She nodded, turning to study him, "You know… you don't remind me of that guy at all. He had the same hair, and eyes… and about the same height, I think… but you look totally different." She caught his hand as he went to pull away, and she distractedly studied his palm, "His hands were bigger, too. And rough. You have… really soft hands."

"Is that so?" he looked amused.

She nodded again and released him as Toki jumped on the bed. Playing with the dog's floppy ears, she added, "You're… really nice. All of you."

Takenaga just smiled and ruffled the dog's fur, "Get some rest."

After a short rest, Aya was able to at least move about without becoming dizzy. She came down the stairs with Toki trotting ahead of her and Kyohei a few paces behind, commenting that she should be resting.

"I hate lying around, and besides, I feel better now." She replied.

"Oh, really?" he reached out and lightly boxed her in the side.

She yelped, small tears coming to her eyes, "Th-That was a cheap shot."

"But it proved a point. At least just sit down somewhere?" he gripped her shoulders and propelled her down the last few stairs, fully aware of her dog growling at him from the bottom.

"And be waited on hand and foot? I'm not some princess!" she shook off his hands and headed for the bathroom and medicine closet within, "I can adapt to any form of internal pain. A few more of those cheap shots, and they won't even phase me."

"Then why are you going after pain medication?" he taunted, following her and watching her retrieve the small bottle.

"Because it's annoying. And… hm…" she paused, looking thoughtful, "And I don't feel like I need to adapt to pain around here."

Curiosity got the better of the boy, "What?"

"I had a rough childhood. If I didn't get used to pain, I wouldn't have survived." She swallowed the pills, then pushed up her sleeve, feeling around on her left bicep, "There! Here, come feel this."

"Feel what?" he inspected the indicated spot, finding only a small, barely noticeable scar. Tentatively, Kyohei reached out to feel it, pausing when he felt a small round object under her skin, "Gross! What is it?"

"A BB pellet. I got shot with one when I was about eleven, while my cousin was playing around." She pushed the sleeve up further, showing him ragged scars that decorated her shoulder, "And these are from… an attack. I have them all over my back, too."

He looked thoughtful a moment, then said, "Well, that doesn't mean you're okay. You're still gonna go into the living room and sit down. I'm sure everyone else is going to agree."

"Agree on what?" Yuki appeared, "Oh, Aya, you're up. Are you feeling okay? Takenaga said you were dizzy."

Smiling, Aya brushed past Kyohei, "Yeah, I'm feeling better, just a bit sore. Wanna go for a walk with me? There's too much testosterone around here with Sunako hiding in her room. I'd go alone, but… I don't think _mother_ will let me." She snickered and glanced back at Kyohei. He looked unamused.

Yuki raised an eyebrow at the other male, who explained, "I told her that she should be resting."

"You should, Aya. But… fresh air wouldn't hurt either. Let's go out on the front lawn!" Yuki took her by the hand and pulled her to the front door. Toki growled at him, and he released her with a start.

"Toki, Toki… don't growl at Yuki-kun!" She admonished the dog, and it quieted with a small whimper.

"It's not gonna bite me, is it? You're uncle said it was a good dog." Yuki asked, cautious.

"Toki is a girl, not an 'it.' And she's just protective." Frowning slightly, Aya glanced up at him from where she knelt to play with Toki's ears, "She doesn't like it when strange men touch me. She'll get used to you." Turning back to the dog, a smile lit up her face, "Isn't that right, sweetheart?" The dog yapped and wagged her tail excitedly.

Cautious, Yuki offered his hand to the dog. Toki turned away, and Aya hastened to scold her again, "Toki, don't be rude!" The dog probably would have rolled its eyes if it could. As it was, it simply glared balefully at Yuki until he withdrew his hand.

"She… doesn't seem to like me."

"She'll get over it. Come on. I guess the front lawn is better than being stuck in here." Standing, Aya led the way to the front door and outside.

Sitting on the grass beside the girl – who'd sprawled herself out like a cat enjoying the sun – Yuki asked, "How did you get trampled?"

"Duo-kun got kicked and threw me. Ah, Duo-kun is one of my horses, a huge blood bay gelding. Wanna see?" she rolled onto her side and dug her cell phone out of her pocket.

"You have pictures? Sure." He leaned in to watch her go through the pictures on her phone until she came to one of four horses.

Pointing out each in turn, she indicated two young brown geldings named Hito and Dante, – Hito was Dante's older brother – their small brown mother Rubi, and the big blood bay gelding, Duo.

"The landlady mentioned that your family has a stable… are those your only horses?"

"Of course not! We have over a hundred horses for the use of those who rent them, or for sale. There are also fifty personal horses. These four, as well as Precious Moon, are just _my_ horses."

"Precious Moon…?"

"Rubi gave birth to a filly – a female foal – yesterday. That's why I went out there, to see her." Smiling, Aya added, "She's Rubi's first female foal, and she looks almost exactly like Hito… right down to the crescent moon shape on her forehead. I'll have to go home every once in awhile to check on her. Would you like to come sometime?"

Yuki smiled, "Yeah, I would."


	6. Chapter 6: Drop Dead, Juliet!

**aTitle:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Six**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: G.

**Warnings**: A long chapter. There's kissing, and light flirting, but that's it.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one. I don't own _Drop Dead, Juliet_ either.**  
Summary:** Finally! The production of _Drop Dead, Juliet!_

Note: Lines in the script are like "[this." Just in case you thought Kyohei often spoke in Shakespearean.

**Chapter Six: Drop Dead, Juliet!**

The parts for the class play – _Drop Dead, Juliet!_ – were to be announced that day. Students chattered excitedly about who could be playing what part until, finally, Isa Kikyo stepped forward to write the parts on the board, announcing them as she went.

"…Juliet: Shuiro Aya. Lady Capulet..."

Girls were giggling, and Kyohei jokingly congratulated Aya.

"…Lord Capulet: Morii Ranmaru…."

Aya leaned back, laughing, "All right, _Dad_. Let's do a good job!"

"Mercutio: Toyama Yuki. Romeo: Takano Kyohei. Shakespeare: Oda Takenaga…"

Yuki whined, "Why am _I_ a _girl_…?"

"Hey, don't sweat it! I'm the leading female role!" Aya grinned at him, and he laughed; the girls who voted Aya in still thought she was a guy! Aya laughed and pulled a face, "And Kyohei is my Romeo. At least _you_ won't have to kiss anyone!"

"Are there any objections?" Kikyo asked, finished with announcing the parts. When there were none, she handed out scripts.

Takenaga glanced over his lines and cleared his throat, "[What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?"

Aya, standing off the side of the living room/rehearsal stage, recited, "[Yeah. You're young, hot, and rich—what have you got to be depressed about?" she almost laughed, but managed to keep herself under control.

Kyohei sighed, "[Not having that which, having, makes them short." He blinked, stared at his line, and turned to Aya. She shrugged, mouthing 'I dunno.'

Takenaga – Shakespeare – asked, "[In love?"

"[Out of her favor where I am in love." He looked to Aya again and pulled a face, "You have the easy lines."

"Shush up." She stuck out her tongue, then followed her script, going to Takenaga and pulling him away, "[Wait a minute, we don't meet for another four scenes."

Kyohei turned to their 'audience,' Ranmaru and Yuki, "[Alas that love whose view is muffled still should without eyes see pathways to his will."

Takenaga turned to Aya, "[Right now he's in love with the fair Rosaline."

"[Rosaline?"

"[Your cousin."

Aya looked shocked, "[What?! She's got a moustache you could strain soup with!"

Kyohei sighed.

Takenaga continued his part, "[Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind—"

"[And therefore is wing-ed Cupid painted blind, yeah, I've heard it. He never said anything about Rosaline." She cut him off.

"[He forgets her as soon as he sees you."

"[Just like that? In love one minute, out the next?"

Kyohei continued his lonely acting, "[O she is rich in beauty!"

Takenaga glanced over at him, "[That's Romeo."

Aya acted annoyed, "[What a weenie! So how do I know he's really in love with me? What if it's just another passing fancy?"

"[It probably is."

"[What?!"

"[Come on, you're thirteen, he's sixteen, you'll get over it."

"[No I won't!"

"[That's what they all think. I could do you a nice shipwreck. You'd wash ashore, disguise yourself as a boy—" he chuckled privately, "[—spend your days thinking your brother's drowned—"

Aya marched over to Kyohei, and smiling seductively, batting her eyelashes, she purred, "[Hi there."

Kyohei looked startled, blushing, "Geez, Aya, you could recruit and army to rub your feet with that look! When did you become such a _girl_?"

She cleared her throat, then resumed the former expression, again purring, "[Hi there, _Romeo._ You're supposed to _ignore me_ now."

He laughed, then got back in character. Sighing, he barely noticed her, "[Hi."

"[There's a party at the Capulet's tonight."

"[That's nice."

"[Everyone's invited except our mortal enemies. I pray come and crush a cup of wine. Rest you merry."

He sighed again, and she returned to Takenaga, urgent, "[Do something!"

Takenaga called to Romeo, "[At this same ancient feast of Capulet's sups the fair Rosaline, whom thou so loves." Kyohei perked up, turning to look as Takenaga finished, "[Go thither."

"[How will I get in? I'm a Montague!"

Aya reached for the Lone Ranger mask that she'd stashed in her collar, as the stage script had said to do. She paused, blinked, and peered down the front of her shirt.

Kyohei cracked up, "Lose something?"

She frowned, tilted her head, and finally grinned at him, "[Wear this mask, my Romeo. But, oh my… it seems to have slipped. Would you mind coming to get it?"

He laughed harder, and Takenaga glanced at the script, "That's not in here…"

"True, but ad-libbing is funny." She shrugged, reaching up her shirt to fish out the mask. Clearing her throat, she held it out to Kyohei, returning to their rehearsing, "Wear this."

Kyohei, attempting to keep his laughter in check, cried, "[This is tiny! There's no way! I'm gonna get caught!"

Aya matter-of-factly responded, "[It's a well known Shakespearean tradition that someone wearing the same clothes and hairstyle will instantly become unrecognizable by wearing a tiny mask."

Kyohei looked at the mask, "[Really?"

Aya nodded sagely, "[Sad but true." She waved her dagger prop – courtesy Sunako -- at Takenaga, turning to him, "[You have to get him to my party."

He stepped aside, and Takenaga went to Kyohei, indicating her, "[It seems she hangs upon the cheek of the night as a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear."

Kyohei inspected Aya a moment, then dismissively replied, "[Not really my type."

The three paused, glancing over the lines for the next part.

Aya tilted her head, "I've got this part down… let's skip ahead to the party. That's mostly you and Yuki."

Kyohei looked over the party, whistling, "Wow, Yuki. You've got a pretty good chunk of speech… about pancakes. What the…?"

"I know… I hope I can remember it all." Yuki flipped to the beginning of the party, then approached Takenaga and Kyohei, "Okay, I'm ready."

"No you're not… aren't you supposed to have a mask?" Takenaga adjusted his own.

Kyohei snickered, "Maybe you have to go dig it out of _Lady Juliet's_ blouse. I wonder what else he lost down there?"

"Be quiet, you!" she snapped, waving her prop dagger threateningly, "Or I'll trade this in for a _real_ kitchen knife."

"I don't have a mask. I left it at school. Does it matter?" Yuki ignored them.

"No, I guess not." Takenaga shrugged, "Are you ready, Kyohei?"

"Yeah." He cleared his throat, "[An we mean well in going to the masque, but 'tis no wit to go. I dreamt a dream tonight."

"[And so did I." Yuki declared.

"[Well, what was yours?"

Yuki faked discomfort, glancing to Takenaga, "[I don't usually do this part. I'm a serving maid at the party."

"[So do those lines." Takenaga prompted.

Yuki smiled brightly, "[More ale, sirrah?" Kyohei and Takenaga stared expectantly at him. Finally, Yuki said, "[That's it."

Kyohei pretended to look annoyed, "[Look, if there's nothing you have to tell me, I think I'm going to go see if Rosaline wants to have coffee—"

Aya yelled from her spot on the couch, "[I don't hear lines!"

Kyohei glanced in her direction, "[Who's that shrew?"

"[I heard that!" Aya scolded, stalking on to the stage, brandishing an axe with the dagger stuck in her belt, "[Guess what I found on the props table?" she grinned, then turned to Yuki, "[Come on, tell him your dream. You have dreams, right? Say whatever you want, this part never makes sense anyway."

"[It's poetry!" Takenaga protested.

"[Fine. Make some of it rhyme. Hey, Rosaline!" she shouldered the axe and strutted offstage, whistling the theme of 'Mission Impossible.'

"[I dreamt a dream tonight." Kyohei started again.

"[And so did I."

"[And what was yours?"

Voice getting spookier, Yuki recited the lines, "[That Queen Mab came me by. She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes in shape no bigger than an agate stone. In the International Pancake House we sat, but it wasn't th'Pancake House, you know what dreams are like, and then she said, Mercutio why dost thou waste thy time with Romeo? When thous couldst be abroad with me a-leap tickling a parson's nose as he lies asleep. And then I realiz'd I wore but drawers. Having no wit to put my clothes upon, all look'd at me from o'er their plates and laughed. And then my elbow knock'd upon the syrup, and there was blueberry syrup all over the table, and the waitress came over, but it wasn't the waitress, it was Sir Francis Drake, dressed as a waitress—"

"[Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace. Thou talk'st of nothing." Kyohei waved him off.

Yuki looked offended, "[Hey, I listen to _your_ dreams."

Takenaga stepped in, "[Supper is done and we shall come too late."

Kyohei replied, "[I don't wanna go."

Takenaga sighed, "[All right, I'll bring it to you." Takenaga waved his pen, and – in the script – the party began. Kyohei and Aya's eyes met, and they began to cross the 'stage' towards each other.

Ranmaru, kicking back on the couch, reached over and hit 'play' on the CD player Aya had set out earlier. "Lolllipop (Candyman)" by Aqua filled the room, and Kyohei jerked his head around to stare.

"_That's_ your romantic, Barry White-type music?!" he yelled at her.

Aya laughed, "It's not what's being used for the play!"

He shook his head, and recited his lines, "[Excuse me, miss, have you seen Rosaline? Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright."

Aya looked stunned, "[What?!" Kyohei turned away, and Aya grabbed Takenaga, "[He's supposed to fall in love with me!"

Takenaga replied, "[Don't you think love at first sight is a little contrived?"

Aya strode over to Kyohei. He looked up, hopeful, "[Did you find Rosaline?"

Aya rolled her eyes, "[She couldn't come. She's entering a convent tonight. In Sicily."

Kyohei leaned in, grinning, "You're pretty good at playing the scorned lover, aren't you? Admit it: you're really a girly-girl deep down inside, aren't you? You secretly like makeup and dresses and kissing boys, don't you?"

"I'm allergic to most makeup. Dresses are pointless, and kissing boys…" she paused, smirking, "No thanks."

"How are dresses pointless?" he countered.

"If dresses served an actual purpose, men would wear them. But they don't. Dresses are kinda like that foot-binding tradition they had in China: they serve no purpose except for appearances." Smiling, she leaned toward him, "The day I put on a dress will be the same day all four of _you_ put on dresses… and wear them in public."

"You know, you'll have to wear a dress for the play. You _are_ Juliet, and women didn't wear pants then."

There was a moment of silence, followed by Aya's shout, "Shit!"

"Hello? We _were_ rehearsing!" Yuki tried unsuccessfully to draw them back to the task at hand.

The audience was quiet as Aya – as Juliet – awoke from her slumber, peered around, and finally spoke, "[Where is my Romeo?" She looked down to Romeo!Kyohei, laying on the floor, and knelt beside him. Plucking a small bottle from his fingers, she examined it, "[Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end." She leaned in and kissed him, stealthily slipping her tongue between the boy's lips. Kyohei jumped, an eye flickering open to stare at her.

Offstage, Lord Capulet – Ranmaru -- spoke his lines, "[Lead, boy. Which way?"

The girls in the audience were giggling now, and Kyohei flushed. Aya moved as if it hadn't happened, "[Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief." she pulled the dagger from his belt and knelt upright, "[Oh happy dagger. This is thy sheath." She rose the dagger, then stopped and set it down. Pausing to take a deep breath, she again rose the dagger, stopped, and set it down.

If the audience hadn't been confused when _Romeo and Juliet_ started off with Romeo dead, then they were confused now. A murmur went through the room.

The Nurse peered from behind the curtain, whispering, "['There rust and let me die!'"

Aya rose the dagger high, then stabbed it into the platform she knelt on, "[I don't think so!"

The Capulets, Montagues, the Prince (Yuki), and the Nurse peered in from the curtains, looking confused and asking what was going on.

"[No. No. No!" Aya shook her head, stubborn.

The others muttered to each other.

Yuki stepped out, hurrying center and blocking Aya, "[A glooming peace this morning with it brings—"

Aya stepped out from behind him, "[Stop!"

Yuki stopped, looking confused. The others step from the wings, looking about, uncertain.

Finally, Takenaga – Shakespeare – pushes through, carrying a script and quill, "[Sorry, what? Why have we stopped?"

Aya turned to him, "[This is a love story."

Takenaga looked pleased, "[The greatest love story of all time."

Aya crossed her arms and looked dubious, "[So why do I have to kill myself every night?"

"[It's a tragic love story."

"[I'll tell you what's tragic – this is my favorite dress. And I've had to sew it up the front four hundred times, after soaking it in cold water to get the stains out. Not to mention the searing pain in my abdomen every night. Do you know how excruciatingly horrible it is to stab yourself in the stomach?" the other characters mutter supportively, and she continued, "[And what kind of lame-o plot twist is me waking up three seconds _after_ he dies?"

Kyohei tried to shush her, rolling onto his side to tug urgently on her dress.

"[Don't you 'shh' me, Mr. Love at First Sight!"

Lady Montague came fully onto the stage, followed by the other Montagues, "[She's got a point, there. It is a little contrived."

Takenaga looked irritated, "[You know, you could be replaced with another Nurse."

"[I was just saying."

Aya burst in again, "[The messenger gets delayed my foot!"

Friar Lawrence and Friar John entered. Lawrence reasoned, "[That part is a little far-fetched. If I needed a man to go with me, why would I enter the plague-stricken house?"

Takenaga waved him off, "[Fine, fine, I'll give that bit to Friar John. He's the stupid one."

Friar John cried out, "[Hey!"

The Capulets came on stage.

"[Love stories don't end with funerals, they end with weddings! And people live happily ever after!"

Everyone else chorused an agreement.

Takenaga frowned, "[Excuse me, I am the greatest playwright in history and I know what I'm doing!"

"[You can't be that good if everyone can do your plays for free. It's the same thing every night! Wake up, fall in love, get married, kill myself. Wake up, fall in love, get married, kill myself. I am not doing this anymore."

"[You can't quit!"

"[Did I say quit? Did anyone say quit? I'm not quitting. I just want a better story. More love. Less death." She held out her hands.

Takenaga looked about, then handed over the script and pen.

Aya stared confusedly at the script, flipped it over, stared a little longer, then flipped it over again. Finally, she set it down on the platform, held the pen clenched in her fist, and tried to write on the paper.

Takenaga cleared his throat, "[Most Elizabethan women didn't read or write."

"[I get invitations!" she shot back defensively.

"[They're announced."

She looked around. A male Montague snickered. She looked like she might cry. Suddenly, she whipped around with the dagger in hand and advanced on Takenaga. The other characters huddled together.

"[I'm sure we can just figure out a better story if we just have a little goodwill, hmmm? Good will?" she threatened him with the dagger, then smiled sweetly, "[Thank you for writing in a dagger. I'm sure it's going to come in handy."

Takenaga put his hands up, "[Goodwill. Yes. Um. Perhaps you'd like to be in another play? The _Taming of the Shrew_ ends with a wedding, and I'm thinking of putting in a sister…"

"[I've seen what happens to Kate in Act 3."

"[Most people find it funny."

"[Kate doesn't."

"[It's sometimes hard for the characters themselves to appreciate the overall effect…"

"[You think Hermia likes being abandoned in the woods by her boyfriend every Midsummer night?"

Takenaga began to look weary, "[It ends with a wedding. It ends with three weddings."

Aya stomped her foot, "[After being dragged through mud!"

Lady Capulet joined them, "[And that _Tempest_ is so wet. Miranda's never going to shake that head cold."

"[It's a classic." Takenaga clarified.

"[More like a class-suck if you ask me. Suicide, wife-beating, horrible relationships—what have you got against women, anyway? How come there's not more of us here?"

Takenaga drew himself up, "[The Elizabethan acting company—"

Lady Montague stepped forward, "[You can't tell me some pre-pubescent boy knows more about being a woman than I do."

All the women began to move out of their huddles, agreeing.

Kyohei, still seated on the floor, rose his hand, "[What's pre-pubescent?"

"[Quiet down this minute all of you!" Takenaga snapped.

"[You can't make us!" the nurse yelled.

"[Oh yes I can! I don't have to write this play, you know! I have a great idea for an existential meditation set in Denmark."

Lady Montague rolled her eyes, "[Yeah, that'll pack 'em in."

Takenaga began to look desperate, "[You can't do this! You're—you're fictitious."

Aya grinned slyly, "[You're dead. We're even."

"[How come you remember the ending, anyway? Usually everyone just goes back to the green room and gets ready to start over!"

"[Four hundred years and it starts to sink in, Willy." Aya flipped her hair over her shoulder, "[If you don't write us a better story—without me dying—then I'm going to show up in every play you write. That girl you're thinking of?"

Takenaga looked startled, "[Ophelia?"

Aya called backstage, "[Come here, Ophelia!" A dazed looking girl with flowers in her hair stepped out. Aya narrowed her eyes at Takenaga, "[Nunnery's slang for brothel."

Ophelia burst into tears and ran out.

Takenaga looked like he might run after her, "[You can't do that!"

"[Oh yes I can. You think of us and we're there. You think we don't talk to each other when you're not around? You think we don't compare plots? I'm not just words on a page, this is my life."

"[I'll write you out!"

"[Maybe that works on messengers, servants, and spear-carriers, but you can't forget a major character and you know it. We just stick in your head until you have to get us out. If you ever want to write another play again, it's time for another draft."

Takenaga sighed, "[Well… what did you have in mind?"

"[First." Aya held up her index finger, "[More girls."

"[No!"

"[Desdemona!" a worried woman stepped from behind the curtain. Aya smiled at her, "[Start hand-washing your handkerchiefs or someone's going to steal one and use it to set you up."

"[What?" she asked.

"[Just trust me."

Desdemona nodded and left.

Takenaga watched her go, panicking, "[Stop doing that!"

'Juliet' turned and threatened 'Shakespeare' with her dagger, "[I will personally tell every single character what you're going to do to them. I will make a guest appearance in every play you ever write. I will haunt your dreams until you cannot write another word."

"[Fine. Fine. Fine! Do your own story and see what happens."

"[Friar Lawrence! You're Sister Lawrence now."

Friar Lawrence whipped off her monk robe to reveal a nun's habit.

"[Prince, you're a Princess."

The Prince took off her cape and tied it around her waist like a skirt.

"[Anyone who hasn't come on yet, you're a girl, OK? All right, everyone, we're going back to the beginning!"

Everyone hurried off stage, adjusting costumes and mumbling their lines.

"[Act one, scene one, get out here!"

Takenaga spoke up, "[It's Gregory and Sampson. Come on, boys!" at Aya's raised eyebrow, he amended, "[Girls. I'll… re-name them later. Right."

'Juliet' and 'Shakespeare' stood aside as Sampson and Gregory entered from one side, and Abram and some other Montagues from the other. They looked to Takenaga, who shrugged, then they looked to Juliet.

"[What goes here? I'm not on 'til scene three." She offered helplessly.

"[Oh, it's such a bad script, I'd be embarrassed to say…"

"[Titania!"

"[Fight! They fight!" Takenaga scrambled to answer.

Aya turned to the actors, "[Do some fighting stuff, all right?"

They took up manly positions, and Sampson began, "[Draw thy tool—here comes the house of Montagues."

"[Haha, you said 'tool.'" Gregory giggled.

Sampson seemingly ignored her, "[Quarrel, I will back thee."

"[Let us take the law of our sides: let them begin."

"[I will bite my thumb at them." Sampson bit her thumb at Abram.

The Montagues muttered angrily.

"[Do you bite your thumb at us, lady?" Abram scoffed.

"[I do bite my thumb, ma'am." Sampson replied.

Abram drew herself up, "[Do you bite your thumb at us? Are you bitin' your thumb at us? Are _you_ bitin' your thumb at _us_? I don't see anybody else here, you must be bitin' your thumb at us! I got a thumb for you right here, and some elbow, too!" She bit her thumb, then flapped her elbow at Sampson. The Montagues gave each other high-fives.

"[Oh yeah?" Sampson bit her thumb, flapped her elbow, and wiggled her hand on her head making a 'weeweeweewee' sound.

Abram bit her thumb, then did a round of the chicken dance.

Sampson and Gregory glanced at each other, then quickly executed a round of the Macarena.

A Montague said to Abram, "[We just got served by the Capulets!"

"[All right, Capulets! Dance-off!" Abram shouted. Loud music started playing, and the three tried to out dance each other.

"[This is awful!" 'Juliet' shouted over the music.

Takenaga flourished his pen, and the music got softer, "[Yes, isn't it?"

"[Can't you just give me a chance? Give me one chance to change my story. Help me. Please. You're the one who knows how to do this."

Takenaga surveyed the dance-off, then sighed, "[All right, I'll help." Aya hugged him, and he jumped, "[Watch the dagger!"

"[Make them stop. Please."


	7. Chapter 7: WooHoo! Beach, Beach!

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Seven**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: PG-13

**Warnings**: A cuss word, and a wet t-shirt.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** The Nakahara household heads off for a vacation at the Shuiro family beach, and are smacked in the face by horse ranch life and Aya's complete lack of proper modesty. And a fish.

**Chapter Seven: Woo-Hoo! Beach, Beach!**

The play was a hit, though Aya suspected it was because of the 'hot' cast. Laughing to herself, she repositioned the fake-blood covered blade she'd lifted from the props; Sunako would fall in love.

Yuki glanced at her strangely, "What are you laughing at?"

"Oh… nothing." She grinned at the sky, glancing briefly at Kyohei. He looked away, but not quick enough. Aya decided to be merciful and not call him out, "Say, Yuki, you did a good job. Why were you so worried about messing up?"

"Ah, I've never acted before." He looked ashamed, "You're such a great actor… you should be in a movie."

"Ha! But with my luck, I'd be cast in some girly tear-jerker as a simpering little girl! Nah, I can't even watch most movies, let alone act in them." She wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.

"We have a school vacation coming up, don't we? Are you going to go somewhere with Noi-chan?" Yuki asked Takenaga, turning around to walk backward.

"We haven't decided on anything yet." Takenaga shrugged.

Aya turned to face them – which required her to walk sideways – and patiently rose her hand.

Yuki glanced over, "We're not in school, Aya. Just talk."

"I didn't want to interrupt." She clarified with an obnoxious grin, then cleared her throat, "My family owns a beach."

There was a moment of silence, in which grins slowly spread over the boys' faces.

"Ah, but there's a catch." She held up a finger, turning to walk normally.

Kyohei looked grim, "How much will it cost?"

"A night in the stables… work included." She smirked.

Ranmaru blinked, "What…?"

"The nearest building to the beach is the stable. If you intend on staying the night, we'll have to clear out some stalls to sleep in. It's not a big task." She grinned, glancing at Kyohei, "You won't get scared, will you? The horses aren't gonna eat you."

He huffed, and the others began to excitedly plan for their beach vacation. Aya dropped back to walk beside Sunako, "And you? Are you coming with?" smiling, she leaned over to whisper to the girl, "There's a cool cave system out there… a good portion of it's underwater. You'd like it."

Sunako stared at her.

"That's the only land that didn't run through the family… Grandpa bought it cheap from this guy that had been renting it. He wasn't getting any income, because the renters kept saying the beach was haunted. They say… a woman was murdered in the caves there."

Sunako perked up and all but skipped the rest of the way home.

"Wh-What did you say to her?!" Yuki asked, seeing Sunako's blissful expression.

Aya just smiled and continued walking along.

"Woo-Hoo! Beach, Beach!" Yuki cheered excitedly, arms in the air as he took in the beach.

Aya threw a rubber fish toy at him, mocking rather dully, "Woo-Hoo, unpack your own shit."

Everyone else – who had already taken out their luggage -- waited patiently while the boy retrieved his suitcase.

"All right… stable is that-a-way." Aya led the way up to the clean white building. Horses nickered at them as they walked down the hallway, and Aya would stop to pet them every once in awhile.

Machiko peered into one of the stalls, "Aww! Noi-chan, look, isn't it adorable?"

The two girls huddled together to peer inside, and Aya looked over them, "That's Precious Moon. She's a week old. Would you like to pet her?"

"Could we?"

"Yeah. Let's drop our stuff, and I'll get her out."

Awhile later, the teens were hanging on the fence as Aya coaxed along the small horse. The foal's mother grazed contentedly at the opposite end of the corral.

"Come, come, love. Let's walk over to mama. Mama's this way, love." After awhile, she got the foal over to it's mother, allowed it to calm down, then invited in whomever wanted to pet it. The foal delicately sniffed each person in turn, then paused on Kyohei. He grinned and pet the small nose.

"Ha, she likes you, Kyohei." Aya laughed.

"Most girls do." Ranmaru jibed, elbowing the boy. Aya just laughed.

Precious Moon moved forward as Kyohei cautiously knelt, and the small animal sniffed his neck, then turned to nip at his hair.

Aya rapped it on the nose with her knuckles, "Don't let her bite, or she'll think she can get away with it."

"Ah… Aya-san? Th-There's a problem…" a lanky boy – an elementary kid, by his looks -- approached, brown hair flopping in his eyes. He looked out of breath.

"What is it, Takashi-kun?" Aya stood, keeping a cautious eye on the two horses.

"We need help… there's a mare stuck in the fencing…" the boy identified as Takashi shifted on his feet, looking impatient, "The pretty buckskin, that's due to that black stud. She's… pretty torn up."

"I'll go. You guys just… stay here. Stay out of trouble." Freeing the foal to the pen, Aya shooed the other teens from the corral, then jumped on a four-wheeler behind Takashi. The two zoomed off.

Noi looked worried, "Do you think the horse will be okay?"

"Come on, let's go clear out our rooms." Takenaga offered, leading the small group back into the stables.

It was nearly two hours later before Aya came back, riding in the back of a truck, drenched in blood, and cradling a tiny gold-ish horse wrapped in bloodied towels. Beside her, Takashi was holding another foal in a similar state. Behind the truck, they pulled a small open-top trailer with a large-bellied horse lying down, breathing heavily, her light-golden fur mottled with blood and dirt. Two more boys and an older man worked around her while trying to stay upright.

The four boys and three girls were outside when the truck pulled up, and Aya yelled from the back of the truck, "Hey, get over here and help!"

The four boys came over in a hurry and helped lift the small, squirming foals from the truck bed, handing them off to Noi and Machiko. The two girls were directed to rub dry the two foals, while Aya, Takashi, and the four boys went back to help pull the mare out of the trailer and onto a tarp. The truck was pulled away, and three of the stable-boys went after fencing panels, building up a small pen around the mare. One of them led the two girls and the foals to an empty stall and gave them new towels.

"What happened? Is she going to be okay?" Machiko asked.

"We had to perform a c-section out in the field to get these two out… Aya-san only orders that when circumstances look dire." The boy looked grim, then turned his back, "I'll get some milk for them. Keep them warm."

Kyohei, Takenaga, Yuki, and Ranmaru stood off to the side, feeling rather useless as Aya and the stable-hands swarmed about the mare. Feeling sick to his stomach, Yuki went to see if he could help the girls.

Another half-hour later, the large mare was lying unconscious under the makeshift tent that had been erected, bandages around her legs and trunk. One of the stable boys still hovered about her, carefully washing blood from her fur. It had been decided that all they could do was sit and wait.

Wiping her brow, Aya smeared a dirty red across her face, but seemed too tired to care as she approached the three boys that still stood around, "I'm sorry about this. I'll have Takashi-kun take you up to the house for a shower as soon as he washes out the truck. Is Yuki with the girls?"

Kyohei looked past her to where Takashi was using a hose to rinse the truck bed and trailer, and he felt his stomach lurch as a flow of red water gushed from the tailgate. He nodded mutely.

She followed his gaze, "Otherwise… there's a washing stall in the stable. It has warm water."

"I… I'll go with that." Takenaga decided.

"Okay." She summoned one of the stable hands over and told him to get some towels and show the boys to the cleaning stall. Turning back to the three boys, she said, "Shin'ichi-kun is going to get you some towels and show you where it is. Just leave your clothes in a pile and I'll have them taken up to the house to be washed. I'll send down the others, too."

"What about you?" Kyohei glanced her up and down; she looked the dirtiest of them all, with scrapes and cuts the length of her arms and torn open jeans. He briefly wondered if the horse had been sedated while they cut it from the fence.

She saw his eyes linger on the wound on her forearm that had dripped blood down to her wrist. Covering it self-consciously, she replied, "I still have work to do. I have to put away Rubi and Precious Moon, drive some of the boys home, fix the fence, get the ATV… I'll take my shower later. I'm sure if you ask, Shin'ichi-kun or Takashi-kun can help you with anything you need; they're part of the night crew, so they sleep down here. Ah… I'll bring back supper, too. What would you like?" the boys glanced at each other and shrugged, not particular. "Okay, I'll bring prawns. I remember someone saying he liked prawns."

Ranmaru glanced over at the stable-boy, noting somewhat off-handedly that he looked the same age as Takashi.

"Aya, if you have all these kids running around, why do _you_ have to do all that stuff?" He asked, and Shin'ichi looked insulted.

"Most of them are just part-timers, hired to patrol the fields or muck out stalls or something. And besides that, I enjoy working here, even if it is hard work." She smiled tiredly, and shooed them along.

Once the three boys and the stable-boy were headed down the hall, Aya located the stall where Yuki, Sunako, Machiko, and Noi were playing with the twin foals. Leaning on the stall door, she smiled down at them, "Hey, Yuki, the guys are down the hall taking showers. Care to join them?"

All four looked up, startled, and Yuki stood, half-heartedly dusted straw off his jeans, and exited the stall. "Yeah, that sounds good. Which way?"

Aya indicated the direction of the showers, "Down there, at the very end of the barn."

"Thanks." He bowed and followed her directions.

Turning back to the girls, she dangled an arm into the stall to stroke a foal, "Two girls… what do you think we should name them?"

Machiko and Noi debated fiercely for awhile. Finally, Sunako threw in her two cents, "Koujo and Unjo…"((A/N: Both mean 'Lucky Girl'))

The other three girl paused, and Aya slowly tried them out, "'Lucky Girl'… Yeah, I think that fits them both. What do you two think?"

"Those are great names, Sunako-chan!" Noi gushed excitedly, and Machiko nodded in earnest.

Aya smiled, "O-kay, Koujo and Unjo." She laughed, digging a permanent marker out of her pocket that she'd lifted from the tack room and entering. Carefully, she slid her arms around one of the foal's necks and allowed it to calm down before handing the marker to Noi, "Here, write a name on the inside of her ear. First just pet her ear until she calms down, then write it quickly."

Noi did as requested, writing 'Koujo' inside the foal's left ear. As soon as she was done, Aya released the small animal and went for the other one. Machiko repeated the process, writing 'Unjo' in the other one's left ear.

"There. Now, did they get fed?" at the positive response she got, Aya nodded her approval and continued, "Good. Now you girls just go back to your rooms until the guys are done showering. I've got some work to do."

The three girls were just getting into the showers when Aya returned, sent a tired and annoyed-looking Shin'ichi off to bed, and telling the girls that some of the full-time staff had taken over most of her duties. As the washing stall was built to clean two horses at once, it was plenty big enough for four people, and Aya slipped inside with them.

"What are we doing for supper?" Noi asked, wetting her hair.

"I called up to the main house. The cook is going to send something down. I suggest prawns, but… who knows with him." Aya shrugged, rubbing at her skin.

Noi glanced over at her, staring for a minute, "You have really pretty hair."

Aya smirked over her shoulder, "What, you mean when it's filled with dirt and grime? Gee, thanks."

"No, I mean when it's clean." Noi giggled, "I wish my hair was that long… and it looks so silky. Well, not _now_ of course, but…"

"I agree! What shampoo do you use?!" Machiko chimed in, "Sunako-chan has really long hair, too!"

Aya glanced over to the dark girl who was keeping to herself in a corner. "Shampoo? Ah… just whatever's around. This stuff, usually." She handed over a plain-looking bottle with a silhouette of a horse on the front.

"Isn't this… horse shampoo?" Machiko asked, cautious.

Aya laughed, "I said whatever's around. I spend a lot of nights in these stables, and there happens to be a lot of horse shampoo in them. I guess… for human shampoo I use this rose-scented stuff. I can't remember what it's called, but it's not anything special."

Noi handed back the shampoo, and the auburn-haired girl lathered it into her own hair, "Anyway, having this long hair is a bother. It's hard to keep it out of the way, and in the summer it gets so hot. Windy days are the worst."

"Then why not cut it?" Machiko ventured.

"… I don't wanna." Aya laughed, "Despite all that, I kinda like long hair."

The girls continued their small talk, and Aya finished off her shower by rinsing out her shirt and jeans.

"Ah, Aya-chan, your arm is bleeding! Do you have bandages? I'll wrap it for you." Noi offered.

Aya glanced down; it was the same wound Kyohei had been staring at. Sitting back against the wall, she inspected it, finding it to be a rather deep gash. "Nah. I'll pour some peroxide on it later, but bandages don't last long on me. Don't worry about it." Standing, she glanced critically at the three remaining towels.

Sunako was first to finish, and she wrapped herself in a towel before shuffling out of the room and down the short way to their stall/rooms.

"There aren't enough towels…" Machiko said softly, liberating her own towel, "I'll go change and bring this one back."

"No, don't worry about it. I've got a back up plan." Aya handed the remaining towel to Noi, who looked dubious. The auburn-haired girl continued to rinse her shirt until all that was left was stains, and then slipped it on. It hung to her thighs, and one wrong move would probably have it riding up, but she didn't seem to care as she tossed the girl's clothes into a basket and kicked it over by the door, "I'll have Takashi take our clothes up to be washed and brought back down in the morning."

The other two girls looked shocked that Aya was going to walk through the hall wearing only a sopping wet t-shirt that stuck to her like a second skin, but it was _her_ decision, they guessed, and allowed it.

The three girls passed the stall that Takenaga and Yuki were sharing, and when they noticed that all four boys were in there and the door was open, Noi and Machiko scampered past, not allowing them a decent look. Aya paused directly in the doorway, "Did Shin'ichi-kun take your clothes up to the house already?"

The four boys looked up, and Takenaga looked away with a blush, "You know, Aya, it's not proper for a girl to be running around in a wet t-shirt."

She only shrugged.

"Yeah, he said they'd be down in the morning." Ranmaru responded. His eyes shamelessly roamed her figure, then turned back to his cards.

"Ha. Then you may want to check your shorts, Ran-chan. He didn't seem to like you much after you called him a kid, and Shin'ichi-kun is known for his pranks." She smirked, told them supper should arrive soon, and left, listening to the boys' laughter.

"How can you stand in front of them almost naked and not be embarrassed?!" Machiko cried once Aya entered their shared stall.

"I haven't had a lot of female-influence in my life. I know no shame." Aya laughed when Machiko stared at her.


	8. Chapter 8: Curse of Sairen!

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Eight**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: PG-13

**Warnings**: A bit of cussing.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** A continuation of the beach vacation. The household finally reaches the beach, and meet up with a haunted cave.

**Chapter Eight: Curse of Sairen!**

"Okay, Yuki, now is the appropriate time for your beach chant." Aya laughed as they walked onto the beach. The blonde boy laughed.

Machiko and Noi lay out their beach towels and set up their umbrellas, and Aya haphazardly dropped the boom box nearby, kneeling to fiddle with the buttons while the boys ran for the water. Pausing briefly, the auburn-haired one glanced up at Sunako, covered in a large black cape.

"Ah, hey, Sunako-chan, just wait there until I get this set. I'm going up to the caves, too." She winked, "Can't have people wandering them alone… it's a liability."

Sunako looked out at the boys with a sigh, "And isn't having them out here a liability?"

"There are six people here, out in the open, and the stable is right there. Both Shin'ichi and Takashi are on orders to keep an eye on things. There, all done." Having tuned in a fairly popular station, Aya checked on the six in the water, tossed a walkie-talkie on Noi's blanket, and stripped down to her lavender swimsuit and a tank top.

As the two girls turned to walk away, Kyohei yelled from the water, "Hey, where are you two going? Come on, get in here!"

Aya grinned, "There's a walkie-talkie out here if you need me."

Yuki, the nearest one to the shore, came out, picked up the device, and spoke into it, "We need you in the water, here, Aya."

She giggled and faked a blush, "Oh, a three-way in the middle of the water? But Yuki-kun, wouldn't Machiko-chan be jealous?"

Yuki's face flamed red and Kyohei sputtered something. In their absence of words, Aya turned and left with Sunako at her heels.

Tailing Aya and Sunako through the cave, Takenaga and Noi were trying to quiet Yuki and Machiko.

"Why are they sneaking off to wander around in here?" Kyohei asked, sounding vaguely annoyed.

Ranmaru watched the flashlight beam ahead of them, "I don't like it. Aya's probably hiding something."

"I've never taken you for paranoid, _Ran-chan._ What changed?" Kyohei smirked at the dirty look the other boy shot him, "Ohh, _I_ know. You think her and Sunako are going to swimming in here somewhere, and you wanna see them in bathing suits!"

Ranmaru opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of crumbling rock, a splash, and Aya was screaming, "Sunako-chan?!"

The flashlight ahead of them flailed wildly, spinning on the ground until it was pointing at them. There was another splash, and all six rushed forward in a panic.

"Aya?!"

"Sunako-chan?!"

"Oh my god, what happened?!"

The group gathered around the water's edge, looking down with gasps as Sunako's cape floated up to the surface.

"What do we do, what do we do?!" Noi cried.

"They're going to drown!" Yuki wailed.

"I-I'll dive down, see if they came out somewhere else." Takenaga picked up the abandoned flashlight, paused, then glanced up, "Kyohei, come with me."

Noi helped Machiko sit down by the cave wall, and Yuki attempted to compose himself in order to help his girlfriend. Ranmaru handed them the flashlight and crouched by the water, discussing the 'mission' with Takenaga and Kyohei.

Takenaga and Kyohei had disappeared below the surface, and for a moment, all was quiet save their breathing.

Suddenly, there was a splash, and Yuki swung the flashlight toward the noise just quick enough to spot something like a large fish disappear under the surface of the water, in a body of water separate from where the two boys had gone under.

"What was that?" Noi whispered.

"A fish." Ranmaru replied, brushing it off.

They sat in silence, and slowly, the small of rotting fish reached them, and Machiko gagged, "Wh-What's that smell?! It's horrible!"

A girl's voice drifted through the air, singing a hauntingly sweet song in a foreign language.

"Is someone there? Please help us!" Machiko cried out, crawling away from the wall to search the darkness. Yuki looked about with the flashlight, but found no one.

"What's going on?" Takenaga and Kyohei surfaced, and were startled by Machiko's cries.

"Did you find them?" Ranmaru asked urgently, and received a negative response.

"This cave must have no end… we couldn't find anywhere else to get out." Kyohei dragged himself up, coughing.

"Let's go back to the stable. I'm sure someone knows this cave system better." Takenaga offered.

"There's someone…!" Machiko persisted softly; the singing hadn't stopped.

Everyone quieted to listen, and suddenly the singing was cut off with a strangling noise. Sounds of a struggle reached them, and a muffled scream.

"Hello?! A-Are you okay?!"

Raspy breathing, and then dead silence.

"Y-You don't think…" Machiko clung to Yuki, looking terrified.

He had long since given up being strong and held her, whimpering, "A-Aya…? Sunako-chan…? Someone…?"

"L-Let's go." Kyohei's voice hardly shook as he tried to group them together and herd them back the way they came. They neither saw nor heard anything.

When they reached the entrance of the caves, they were greeted by Aya and Sunako… and Aya didn't look in the least bit happy.

"What the shit were you kids thinking, going in there without telling anyone?! Takashi-kun nearly called out a search and rescue squad, and here you are playing around in the caves! You could have gotten lost, or caught in a cave in, or…!" she raged, only to be cut off.

"Thank god you're okay!" Yuki cried, glomping her and kissing her cheek before attempting to do the same to Sunako. Sunako fended him off and he returned to cling to Aya.

"W-We thought you drowned, and then Sunako's cape… and then… screaming! Someone was screaming!" Machiko whimpered, and Aya calmed slightly, absently stroking Yuki's head.

"We dove under—Well, Sunako-chan slipped." She indicated the bandage on Sunako's shin, "We swam out. Were you following us?"

"Ranmaru thought you were up to something." Kyohei frowned at said male, who only shrugged.

"Sunako wanted to see the caves." Aya sighed, "Well… at least you're all right. Let's get back to the beach, and no more wandering off without telling someone, got it?"

There was general agreement, and Noi cautiously spoke up, "But… the screaming…"

"Yes, it was horrible! We should call the police!" Yuki added.

"Screaming…" Aya tilted her head, "Did you smell rotting fish, and, perhaps, hear some singing?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. We're not missing any guys, so I guess Sairen wasn't hungry tonight. Huh… it's been awhile. I suggest you guys keep a good distance between yourself and these caves, or you'll find yourself one hell of a knockout girlfriend…" she giggled to herself, "Knockout, drag down, smother you with passion girlfriend. Anyway, don't worry about it. Sairen won't leave her cave."

"Y-You mean… are you saying there's some kind of woman-rapist is hiding out in these caves and you're not reporting it?!" Kyohei sputtered.

Aya looked unconcerned, "Murderer, actually… and not so much a woman as… a siren."

"A… siren?" Takenaga was racking his brain for reference to the word, "Like in Greek mythology?"

"Yeah. She lures them into the water pools back there, drowns them. Ahhh, let's go back to the beach. I'll tell you the story there."

The boys were dubious, but followed her.

Back on the beach, they assembled in a vague circle as Aya began the tale.

"The story says that a private ship crashed out at sea, containing a family. The only survivor was the oldest daughter, a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and pale skin, who'd clung to a piece of driftwood. She was rescued by a fisherman and his son, but by then, she couldn't remember anything… except a song from her childhood. The fisherman named her Kaiyou and took her in to live on these shores with him. A few years later, his son married Kaiyou, and shortly after that, they went out to sea, leaving her behind." Aya paused, glancing out at the waves, "When they returned… she was gone. They sent out a search crew, but didn't find her. Several months later, some boys were playing in those caves, and they came out screaming about a 'dead mermaid.' People went to look and found Kaiyou. Her legs had been sewn together and covered in fish skin; her feet were smashed, the bones and skin forming a fish tail. She was hung up on the wall like some sacrifice, and she _did_ look like a mermaid." Again, Aya paused, peering at each of her audience members in turn, "Legend has it that every second week of every month, Kaiyou – called 'Sairen' by some – reappears in the caves, luring in males with her singing and killing them in hopes of getting revenge on her murderer; Every night she herself is killed all over again."

There was silence in the group.

"You don't seriously believe in ghost tales like that, do you?!" Kyohei snapped, "Dead… _fish-people_ don't just come to life!"

Aya only shrugged, "Okay, _you_ explain what you heard in them caves." Leaning toward him until she was mere centimeters from his face, "Even you can't deny… you felt a certain… _pull_ when you heard the singing?" A hand deftly reached out to stroke the inside of his thigh.

"Hey! Hands off!" he shouted, red-faced and shoving her away. Aya sat back and laughed.

"She did sound… rather alluring." Ranmaru mused thoughtfully.

"Of course she did. That's the point. Now, go swim or something. The sun'll go down before you know it. Sunako-chan, you don't look so hot. It's the sun, isn't it? Let's get you up the stable…"

Sunako turned down Aya's assistance and scampered up to the building on her own. The rest of them returned to swimming and tanning, chattering about 'Sairen.'

Soon enough, the sun began to dip below the horizon and the beach-goers pulled themselves out of the water. The two couples cuddled up to watch the sunset with the others scattered about. Aya took a four-wheeler up to the stables, returning with a wagonload of lumber and cardboard, a propane lighter, a meal, and Sunako.

Sunako and Aya set up the campfire while Kyohei collected rocks to contain it. Noi and Machiko handed out roasting sticks and eventually, everyone was settled around the fire, roasting hot dogs.


	9. Chapter 9: Like a Mom!

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Nine**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: G

**Warnings**: None.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** Another continuation of the beach vacation. In the early morning, Yuki learns exactly how complex life on the Shuiro Ranch can be.

**Chapter Nine: Like a Mom!**

Yuki had a rude awakening the next morning – No, the sun wasn't up yet. Night. What time was it anyway? -- when he rolled over and inhaled a mouthful of sand. Sitting up with a start, he coughed, looking about to find he'd been pushed off the blanket that him and Aya had been on – back-to-back, of course, with a respectable distance between them – and into the sandy space between it and the one Noi and Machiko still slept on.

Turning his head, he found a boy – he looked familiar, but in the dark, and with his brain still fuzzy with sleep, Yuki couldn't name him – cuddled up to Aya's side in Yuki's space. Looking past him, he found yet another boy sleeping against her back in Sunako's space beside Kyohei.

Yuki spent another few minutes staring until it finally clicked; they were Takashi and Shin'ichi!

Aya stirred, opened her eyes, and sleepily stroked Takashi's hair before detangling herself from the two boys. They made sleepy sounds of protest but didn't wake.

"Those two are pretty young." Yuki commented off-handedly, "Where are their parents?"

Aya stroked Shin'ichi's hair, looking thoughtful, "Shin'ichi-kun and Takashi-kun are orphans. They've lived here since I was thirteen."

"Mama…" Takashi murmured sleepily, clutching to Aya's hand.

Aya blushed, and Yuki rose an eyebrow.

"They were very young – nine years -- when they came here… and kinda adopted me as their mother." She laughed awkwardly.

He glanced down at the twin boys and noticed the resemblance for the first time; they obviously weren't identical twins. With a small smile, he said, "I'm sure you were a great mother."

Aya considered him suspiciously, and at his strange look said, "Is that some weird way of hitting on me?"

Yuki blushed, denying it quickly, "It was just a compliment!"

"Hey, where's Sunako-chan?"

"You're avoiding the issue!"

"What issue?"

"I wasn't hitting on you!"

"Oh, wow, major denial." Aya rose her eyebrows and looked away, rubbing her neck, "Well, I guess I'll be going now. Got horses to feed."

Yuki huffed and dropped it as she laughed, standing, "Wanna help?"

He looked over at the others who were still sleeping, "…What time is it? The sun isn't even up yet."

"Five." She stretched and ran her fingers through her hair.

"F-Five…?! Are you serious?!"

She dug her cell phone from her pocket and flipped it open, "Well… 4: 45. Almost five."

"And you gotta go do chores?!"

"I always do chores at five." She looked briefly perplexed, "Quiet down, or you'll wake them up. Are you coming or not?"

He paused again, "Okay. Since I'm up."

She nodded and waved over, "Great. How well can you see?"

"Uh… not very well. A few feet." He mumbled; he could make out her face, and she stood maybe two feet away. Her eyes were wide and glinted oddly when the moon was revealed for a moment.

He felt her grab his hand and pull him forward, "I'll lead you up the path."

"You mean you can see?"

"Perfectly. I get used to the dark quickly. Watch your step."

He stumbled behind her, being led around major obstacles and warned of minor ones until they reached the stable. Inside, it was completely lit up, and stable-hands were rushing about with buckets and rakes. Aya grabbed pair of buckets from a room filled with hay bales, handed one over to Yuki, and directed him to fill it from the metal container that sat against the wall.

The horse feed smelled sweet, and Yuki considered it; it didn't look that different from the rabbit food they sold in pet shops. When he turned to ask what was in it, Aya poured a few white cubes in the bucket and buried them, then offered one to him. He looked at her questioningly.

"They're sugar cubes. Have one."

He finally took it and popped it in his mouth, letting it melt, "You give these to horses?"

"They like sweets." She giggled and motioned for him to follow. The two of them headed for Rubi's stall and Aya emptied her bucket into the mare's bowl, talking to her and the foal for a moment before leading Yuki to another stall that contained a mare and her foal. The smaller horse lifted its nose and just barely reached the top of the half-open stall door, nickering excitedly. Aya stroked its nose and moved on to check the twin foals.

Koujo and Unjo were being bottle fed by a pair of blonde girls, and Aya leaned over the gate to talk to them, "Isn't the mare feeding them? Or is she still down?"

"No, their mom is up, but she won't have anything to do with them."

"She tried to kick Unjo-chan, so we put her in a different stall."

"Is it because she's a maiden mare, Aya-san?"

Aya looked serious, watching the foals, "It could be that, Momiji-chan, but it's more likely because of the circumstances. She had no chance to bond with them, so she doesn't even realize that they are hers."

"So what do we do? Hand rear them?" A man in his thirties approached, greeting Yuki with a nod.

Aya looked up, then turned around and leaned on the gate, "We could, but then they get over attached to their feeders. You remember what happened with Duo. He still follows me like a puppy."

"We don't have any other mares that lost their foals, and our only surrogate mare already has an orphan."

"… Why not let Rubi surrogate them? She took the last set of twins when Hito was a few weeks old and fared well." She tilted her head, thoughtful, "She does make a good surrogate. We just have to watch that all three are getting their fair share."

"It's stressful on a mare to have twins, let alone three." He protested.

"True, but she's managed it before." She paused, "Moon-chan is pretty strong now. We could put the two of them out with some other mares and foals, and put these two in with them. We have plenty of mares that play baby sitter already. These two can have free choice. Like cows and their calves. Then Rubi isn't stuck with three. How does that sound, Toshihiko-juui?" ((juui: veterinarian))

He sighed, "It's worth trying, I suppose. I'll have someone put out the least possessive mares in the open arena."

"Thanks. Come on, Yuki."

He glanced almost sorrowfully at the twin foals before following her, "I don't get it. Why won't their mom take care of them?"

"Basically, she doesn't even realize that she's had foals. Because we carved them out of her and she was too out of it to bond with them in the first few hours. As far as she's concerned, she just lost a bunch of weight, and those two are some other horse's problem." Aya looked apologetic, "That's horses for you, Yuki."

"But if _she_ won't take care of them, then why will Rubi?"

"Rubi takes care of any foal that attaches itself to her teat. She's a great broodmare as far as horses go… but at the same time, we have to watch that she doesn't collect a pile of them and deplete her milk supply trying to feed all of them."

Yuki and Aya returned to the beach just as the others were beginning to wake. He watched her lightly shake Takashi and Shin'ichi awake before sending them up to the house to change and get breakfast, as well as scolding them for not staying in their beds.

"You're just like a mother." The blonde said in awe, then paused, "…Except you can't cook."

She frowned at him, then went around waking their friends and sending them up to the stables for a shower and to change, directing them to come back once they were done. Soon, Yuki and Aya – having already bathed and changed (separately, of course) – were left alone on the beach, and she leaned against her truck that she'd brought down, "I'm going up to order breakfast. What do you think they'd like?"

Yuki thought for awhile, trying to think of a meal that everyone might enjoy, and finally settled on pancakes and bacon. Aya laughed when he told her, "So simple… Ryoukori will have a fit!"

He looked perplexed, "What? Is that a problem?"

"No, no… Don't worry about it. Come on, get in." she waved him into the truck and got into the driver's side. Once they were both in the cab, she laughed, "Ryoukori doesn't like making simple meals… he's such a show off. Maybe I'll just talk to Mai…?"

"You have _two_ cooks?"

"Well, no, not really. Mai isn't technically a cook… she volunteers here."

Yuki turned to stare out the window thoughtfully as they drove up to the house, passing a stable that Aya explained was where they kept the stallions and a house a little bigger then the mansion he lived in where some of the staff lived as well as where various offices were set up. They were nearly up to the house – Yuki could see it over the next hill – when Aya suddenly pulled over the truck, rolled down her window, and leaned out.

"What are you doing, sitting out here alone, Yoji-kun?"

Yuki sat up, trying to look around her, but was unable to see who she was talking to until the other boy stood and approached the truck. Yoji has scruffy black hair and different colored eyes – the left one was green, the other was brown – that looked no older than them.

Yoji glanced at Yuki, who smiled and waved. The dark-haired one looked away, "Who's that? Your boyfriend?"

"Yuki… Toyama Yuki. One of my friends." Aya allowed the two boys to look at each other a moment as she looked to Yuki, "Yuki, this is Yoji Katsunuma. He lives here."

"Hello!" Yuki greeted brightly.

Yoji just made a noise and turned to Aya again, who looked apologetically at her blonde friend.

"What do you want?" Yoji demanded.

"You're sulking about something. And you probably haven't eaten yet. Come on, get in. I've give you a ride up to the house."

The black-haired boy paused, glanced in the truck, then pulled a face at Yuki and jumped in the truck bed to Aya's scolding, "Stop being rude!"

Yoji only looked away and snorted. Aya rolled her eyes and started up the truck again.

When they reached the house, Yoji resolutely placed himself at Aya's side and his body language seemed to convey, 'Stay away from us!' The blonde timidly kept a fair distance until Aya sent Yoji away to go change.

"Did you two… date or something?" Yuki asked once he'd left.

Aya looked worn out, "No, he's just like that. He's possessive." She stretched her arms above her head, "It's kind of like… I'm nice to him, I talk to him and stuff, so he returns the favor by 'protecting' me."

"So are you two close? You seem to understand him."

"Yeah, kinda. We think in the same, messed up way."

"Messed up?" he rose an eyebrow, "I've never noticed you acting like you hated the guts of anyone who talks to us."

"No, not to the same extreme. But… okay, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't consider anyone a 'friend.' I may use the word, but it's just for lack of a better word. What you'd call a friend is more like a… a debtor to me. I owe a debt to people who decide I'm worth 'being friends with.' And to pay off that debt, I protect them." She looked at him helplessly, "Like… if someone were to injure you, I would feel the need to go beat up that person. I'm sorry if that sounds strange or twisted. I've had trust issues since… that incident. A psychiatrist once told me that I'm afraid of losing people, so I don't get close enough in the first place."

"That sounds… really lonely…" he murmured sadly.

"It's not as bad as you might think." she dropped a hand on his head and steered him into the kitchen, "Mai-san! Ryoukori!"


	10. Chapter 10: Phone Calls

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Ten**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: R

**Warnings**: Cussing, a fight.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** Final continuation of the beach vacation. The group leaves the beach on a bad note, and it only gets worse from there. Why is Aya so paranoid?

**Chapter Ten: Phone Calls**

The teens were packing up to leave when Yoji appeared, pausing in the aisle way to glance about. He spotted Yuki and approached him, "Hey, you!"

Startled, Yuki looked up – along with the other three boys, Machiko, and Noi.

"Huh? Oh, hey, Yoji-kun. Did you want something?"

"It's Yoji-_san_." He corrected snappishly, "Where's Aya-san?"

Yuki almost looked disappointed, "I'm not sure where Aya is. She said she'd be right back."

Yoji drew himself up and stared directly at the other boy, demanding, "Are you Aya-san's lover?"

"Wh-What? No!" Yuki denied, red-faced when Machiko glanced at him.

"Then you do not have the right to call her 'Aya.' Know your place, girl-brat!" Yoji crossed his arms, glaring down the stunned boy.

"Wh… 'girl-brat'…?" the blonde boy's eyes watered.

"You're the brat! Quit picking on Yuki!" Kyohei shouted, coming to his friend's rescue.

The black-haired one tilted his head, looking unimpressed, "… Who the hell are you?"

"What the hell difference does it make? What's your problem, kid?!"

"Kyohei-kun, don't start a fight. It'll only make matters worse!" Noi called to him.

Yoji's eyes shifted to her, then back to Kyohei, "Mind your own business, _Kyo-chan_." He shifted into a fighting stance, leveling a stare with the other.

"It _is_ my business if someone's going to go around insulting my friends!"

Yoji flinched, then laughed, "Friends? Ha! A farce! You're funny, Kyo-chan!"

"What's so funny about that?!" Kyohei snarled, then made a move to punch the petulant kid's face. His fist came in contact with a shoulder instead, and there was a yelp.

He backed off, and found Aya with her back to him, holding Yoji. She looked up at him, eyes wide and confused.

"What… Kyohei…? What's going on?" she looked hurt, as if he'd kicked a puppy… as if he'd kicked _her_ puppy.

"That brat came in here all high and mighty and started insulting Yuki!" Kyohei shouted, angrily, "Why are you protecting him?! _He_ picked the fight!"

She glanced down at Yoji, who only stared back, then over to Yuki, who was still sniffling a bit. Finally, she stepped away, looking disappointed, "Yoji-kun… Yuki and Kyohei, and everyone else are my friends. Why did you hurt them?"

Yoji looked away, "…That _girl-brat_… is too friendly with you. I'm just making sure you don't get hurt when he traipses off to someone else."

She slapped him abruptly, small tears in her eyes, "Stop doing this! I'm not some possession that you can lock away! If Yuki leaves…He's not like that! You don't know anything about Yuki! It has nothing to do with you! Nothing at all!"

The boy held his cheek, looking shell-shocked, then contrite, "Aya-san… Aya-san don't cry. Please don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry, I'm sorry!" he was almost whimpering now, "I won't be mean to Yuki anymore, so don't cry…!" He looked around, almost desperate, then darted over to Yuki, hugging him, "I'm really sorry, Toyama-san! I shouldn't have called you a girl-brat and yelled at you and fought with Kyohei-san, so you stop crying, too, okay?"

Kyohei came over, intending on prying the boy off Yuki, only for Yoji to spin around and hug him as well, begging, "I'm sorry for upsetting your friends, Kyohei-san!"

Aya came over, tugging on Yoji's shirt, "Yoji-kun… let Kyohei go, please." She sniffled, and Yoji did so in an instant, quieting but looking ready to start begging for forgiveness in an instant.

She hugged him, "Yoji-kun, just don't start insulting people like that. I appreciate you trying to protect me, but not smothering me. Okay?"

"O-okay…" he replied quietly, and she released him.

"Now, apologize to Yuki and Kyohei."

"I-I'm sorry, Toyama-san and Kyohei-san. Please accept my apology?" he bowed as low as he could manage without toppling over.

Yuki smiled a bit, "Yeah. Okay. Apology accepted. And just call me 'Yuki-kun.'"

"A-All right, Yuki-kun." Yoji went to stand upright, cautiously, glancing at Kyohei quietly.

The other boy glanced at the expectant stares everyone gave him, and finally sighed, "Yeah, whatever."

Aya smiled, "I'm very sorry for Yoji-kun's actions." She turned to the boy in question, "Now, Yoji-kun, don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Yeah, um…" he was blushing now, not meeting her gaze, "I, uh… I wanted to say good-bye before you left and… um… here!" he dug in his pocket and thrust out his hand toward her, holding a circular piece of wood the size of his palm with a design carved on both sides and words painstakingly carved in the curved edges.

Aya blinked, taking the carving. On one side, he'd carved likenesses of Hito, Dante, and Precious Moon; on the opposite site, he'd carved Rubi and Duo. The edges had each horse's name. A smile lit up her face, "Yoji, your carving has gotten really good! It looks exactly like them!"

She hugged him yet again, and his blush darkened. She didn't seem to notice, showing the carving to the others as if it were a treasure.

"I… I had better get back. Come home soon, okay, Aya-san?" the boy said, then left without waiting for an answer.

They ate lunch at some seafood diner that Aya had insisted served 'the best seafood on the coast!'

She ordered some sort of fish, and throughout the course of the meal, tore it into shreds.

Kyohei, sitting across from her, finally put an end to the food-torture, "Its dead now, Aya. I think it's safe to eat."

She glanced up with a sort of laugh, then nibbled on it. A few moments later, she was again destroying her food.

Kyohei – having finished his own fish and just polishing off the fries – huffed at her, "Is something wrong with it? Or do you just like cold fish?"

Her voice was soft, distant, "No, it's okay." She seemed to draw further into herself each moment.

"Then why aren't you eating?"

By now, they had attracted the other's attention, and she stiffened defensively, "I'm not all that hungry, that's all. You can have it, if you want." She nudged the plate toward him.

"Come on, Aya-chan, you have to eat sometime! You skipped breakfast, too!" Machiko prodded.

"Are you worried about your figure, Aya-chan? You look great; I know lot's of girls that would like a body like yours! And skipping meals is no way to lose weight anyway!" Noi tried.

Aya turned to stare at her lap, silent. They could hear a faint buzzing, and her hand touched her pocket.

"I think your cell phone is ringing, Aya." Ranmaru commented.

She shrugged, "So what?"

"It was ringing before, and you ignored it. Maybe it's important." Machiko looked confused.

"Aya… is something bothering you?" Yuki guessed, then paused, "…Who's calling you, Aya?"

She visibly stiffened, and abruptly shoved away her plate, "Nothing's bothering me. No one's calling me. Leave me alone." She stood suddenly and stalked from the building.

Those left at the table turned to the picture window. Outside, Aya paced fiercely along a sidewalk for a moment, then suddenly yanked her cell phone from her pocket, opened it, and yelled something into the receiver before hanging up. Her fingers clenched around the phone, and for a moment, it looked like she might throw it. Instead, she swung around and punted a rock off the walkway and into the ocean before collapsing to her knees.

"Yuki-kun, she talks to you… go find out what's wrong!" Machiko cried, obviously frightened by the other girl's behavior. Some of the others agreed with her.

Yuki hesitated, then shook his head, "I… I can't make her talk. She'll come around. Let's just… leave her alone awhile."

Aya had put on a pleasant façade for the rest of the ride home, and she seemed to try so hard to not worry them, it seemed a shame to call her on it. So none of them did.

When they reached their final stop, Noi and Machiko left for their homes, and the mansion-goers hailed cabs to their destination.

Aya headed straight for her room with her luggage, dropped it inside the door, and went outside again before anyone had a chance to speak to her. Curious, Yuki crept into her room after she'd left and found her cell phone on her bed, buzzing as another call came in.

Glancing about, he picked it up; the call was unregistered. Swallowing and again glancing about, he opened the phone and held it up to his ear.

There was crackling, like someone was playing a recording, and he heard noises. Small whimpers and cries, something whipping through the air.

A small boy's voice whimpered, "Sis…"

Another voice, a girl's… weak, and sobbing, "D-Don't look…"

"Let him watch!" a rough male's voice, and the crack of skin against skin. The girl cried out. "You take his punishment, you protect him… Let him watch, and make sure he's grateful, the little bastard!"

Yuki hung up, frightened, "Wh-What was…?"

A hand yanked the phone from his, and he looked up at Aya's wide, hurt eyes, "You… You heard…?"

"What was that?! Who's calling you?!" he demanded.

She flushed, clutching the phone to her. It was ringing again, "It's… a recording." She looked away.

"Of… oh…" he shivered. What kind of bastard would torture a pair of kids and _record_ it? A thought occurred to him, "He… they never caught him?!"

Aya shook her head, "I couldn't ID him. I know… the color of his hair, the feel of his hands… But that doesn't help. The police… couldn't find anyone. Because of me… because I forgot his face."

"You should tell them about these calls!" Yuki demanded.

"I have." She looked down at the phone. It was still ringing. She looked worried, "I should… go away tonight. He's calling a lot lately."

"You think… he'll try to come after you again?"

"I know he will. It's just a matter of _when_." The phone stopped buzzing, and both paused to stare at it. The room fell silent.

"He can't find you though… He can't know you're here." He told her shakily.

The house phone rang, then, and both Yuki and Aya dashed from the room to answer.

They were too late. Kyohei picked up, "Hello, this is…"

"Hang up!" Aya shouted at him as soon as she reached him.

Kyohei was wide-eyed, staring at the wall. Over the phone, they could hear sudden screams, and then the line went dead.

Yuki took the phone away and slammed it down, visibly shaking, "Aya, he _knows._"

Kyohei looked shell shocked, and Aya quivered as her turned to her, "What was… Was that a crank call?"

"I... I wish it was." She cowered.

Yuki suddenly reached for the phone and dialed the police.

"It… sounded like you. The girl…"

Aya clenched her fists and bit her lip, not responding. There was tense silence between them until Yuki got off the phone.

"The police are going to watch the house tonight. No one will get in." the blonde boy told Aya, disregarding Kyohei for the moment.

"What… you mean… What's going on…?!" Kyohei looked wildly between them.

"I think that… the guy who killed my brother might be after me." She said softly, then turned to Yuki, "I should leave. I won't stay here… I won't let him hurt any of you."

"Stop protecting people and think of _yourself_, Aya! He already knows where we are, so you might as well stay!" Yuki looked frightened, but managed to scold her.

Small tears in her eyes, she shouted back, "I'm not gonna let anyone die anymore! If you're hanging around, he's gonna _kill_ you, Yuki! So shut up and get away!" She shoved him away, before bolting down the hall and shutting herself in her room.

Yuki stumbled into Kyohei's chest, whimpering.

Aya was still closed up in her room, and the rest of the household was collected in the hallway outside her door. Outside was silent, but they knew that police were out there somewhere.

There was a shout outside, and suddenly, they could see police lights flashing through the windows. Kyohei crept up to a window and peered outside, then waved over the others.

"Hey, come look! They caught someone!"

Outside on the front lawn, four policemen were grappling with a man. A shot went off, and the man crumpled to the ground clutching his leg.

Aya appeared in her doorway, and Yuki went to her, "Aya, look, they caught someone!"

There was a knock at the front door, and the teens went to the answer it. A policeman stood there, and spoke with them.

Aya wasn't paying attention. She moved past him and out onto the lawn, trailed by Yuki. Slowly, she approached the captive.

The cop that held the man's cuffs looked up at her, "Is this your stalker, miss?"

The black-haired man turned a sneer on her, and Aya jerked back, eyes wide.

Yuki inspected the male. He didn't look like a cold-blooded killer, or a child torturer, or any sort of deranged psycho. He was big, maybe 30 years old, but nothing stuck out.

And yet, Aya had recognized something about him right away. She was visibly shaking, staring down at the man.

Her voice was soft, and made Yuki shiver at the sound of it, "Yeah. That's him." She knelt, grabbing him by the collar and yanking his head up, nearly choking him.

He only laughed, struggling to breathe, "You… You enjoyed it. Didn't you, you rich whore?"

She yanked on his collar again, shaking him, "You killed my brother. You killed Ryouko."

"The little brat wouldn't—"

"Shut up." Her voice cracked slightly, and she slapped him with her free hand, "Shut up. You killed him! You killed Ryouko, and you ruined my life, and now… you come back, and think you're gonna do it all over again! Who did you think you were gonna kill this time, huh?! What's wrong with you, that you think you have the right to take someone's life?! _Speak up, bastard! I can't hear you!_"

She was cutting off his air, her fingers digging into the skin at his neck until he bled. The policeman that held onto him shouted.

Yuki wanted to stop her, but the feeling that the man deserved this crept into his mind like a virus. Takenaga and Kyohei rushed past him, grapping the girl and pulling her away as paramedics strapped the criminal onto a stretcher.

Aya just stood limply, supported by the grip that Takenaga and Kyohei had on her. A detective came, spoke to her briefly, but received no response, even when Kyohei shook her a bit. The detective shook his head and handed Takenaga a card, before leaving.

The police were gone, the ambulance had left, and the curious neighbors had started to disperse. The two boys released Aya, and she fell bonelessly to the grass.

"Aya? Come on, let's go inside…" Yuki knelt beside her, "I'll find you something to drink and…" his voice drifted off. She didn't seem to be listening.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Takenaga asked no one in particular, and the boys looked down at her, at a loss for what to do.

"Go get her dog. Maybe it'll wake her up a little." Someone suggested, and Takenaga headed back into the house.

Inspiration struck, and Yuki tried another tactic. He leaned in to peer directly at her face, whispering, "Sis? Hey, sis, come on, get up…"

She blinked and turned toward him, but didn't seem to really see him, "Ryouko… Ryouko, I'm sorry… I'm really sorry, Ryouko. It's my fault…" she whimpered, wiping her eyes, and Yuki held her.

"It's okay, sis." He murmured, and helped her stand.

"I had a dream last night, Yuki." Aya was staring at the sky through the window. She hardly paid attention to the room's other occupants as she related the dream, "I dreamt… that I was back home. In the woods that I always explored as a kid. But it was really dark, and I got lost. I saw this tiger, and I followed it into this big clearing." She was silent a moment, smiling at some private joke, "It was snowing, Yuki. There was snow all over the place, and it was really cold. The tiger turned around, smiled, and disappeared, and then the snow came up and wrapped around me like a big warm blanket… and then I woke up." She blinked, thoughtful, "I wonder what would have happened then?"

Yuki propped his chin on his fist, "Oh? That sounds like a really weird dream. Maybe you ate something bad yesterday."

She only laughed, "You know… I think that tiger was Ryouko. I mean… his name means 'two tigers.' It's not _written_ like that, but that's one of the meanings."

Takenaga interjected, laughing a bit, "And the snow… that could be Yuki, right? It warmed you up… and Yukinojo is written with the characters for 'snow' and 'help.'"

"It is? Really?" Aya turned wide eyes on the blonde boy, who nodded.

"You didn't know?"

"I always thought it was with the characters for 'snow' and 'woman.'"

Yuki flushed, embarrassed, "Why would you think that?" Takenaga laughed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it! It just didn't occur to me that 'Yukinojo' could be spelled any other way!" She paused, looking upward, "Huh… maybe that's why mama thought you were a girl…"

"What?!" Yuki nearly fell out of his chair in surprise.

"I wrote her an e-mail, and told her who all you were. She said that she was glad there were other girls in the house." She snickered, "Haha, my bad! I'm sorry!"

Yuki crossed his arms and settled back into his chair with a faint huff. Still snickering, she leaned over the back of his chair, peering down at him, "Aww, come on, it was a mistake. Don't pout!"

"I'm not pouting." He clarified.

She rolled her eyes good naturedly and shrugged, letting her hair slide over her shoulders and onto his head, "Okay, Yuki. Whatever you say."

He looked up, pushing her hair from his face, "…Why is your hair so long? Don't you ever cut it?"

"I trim it once in awhile." She laughed, shaking her head so that more hair fell in his face.

Yuki caught a few strands and inspected them, "I never see you do anything with it… except a ponytail. Doesn't all this hair get annoying?" he paused, fingering the strands he'd caught, "…Can I braid your hair?"

"I dunno. _Can_ you?" she laughed.

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever. _May_ I braid it?"

"If you want. I don't care." She shrugged, paced around to the front of the chair, and knelt on the floor, "Knock yourself out."

He reached out and gathered her auburn hair, smoothing it over. It was a little more brown than Ranmaru's hair, and felt like silk. With a mental laugh, Yuki decided that if _his_ hair felt this nice, he'd grow it out, too.

"Hey, Takenaga, what're you reading?" she inquired.

The dark haired boy looked up, "The _Aenid. _By Virgil."

"Virgil is… he's the poet mentioned in _Dante's Inferno_?" she looked thoughtful, "And the _Aenid_ is… it had to do with Troy, right? I'm sorry, I've never been able to get my hands on a copy."

He looked intrigued, "Have you read _Dante's Inferno_?"

"I have. Did you?" she smiled, and Yuki peered down at her, shaking his head.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Classic Latin Literature."

"_You _read that stuff _too_?" he cried.

She only grinned, then turned back to Takenaga, "Have you heard of Nietzsche?"

Yuki looked helplessly over at Kyohei. The other blonde shrugged.

"There. All done." Yuki finally proclaimed, tying off the end of the long braid.

Aya brought the braid over her shoulder and grinned, "Neat. Thanks."


	11. Chapter 11: A Date!

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Eleven**  
Author:**Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing:**None yet. **  
Rating:**Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: G or PG-13

**Warnings**:**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** Ranmaru is inspired by Yoji's admission, and makes plans to turn Aya into a true lady.

A/N: I apologize for the delay in updating! I got distracted by two other stories that I'm working on and entirely forgot that I was posting this one on So, to make up for it, here are four chapters. Enjoy!

**Chapter Eleven: A Date?!**

"I heard that they caught a criminal trying to sneak into your house Saturday night, Aya-kun, Yuki-kun!" a girl cried to the pair at school the next day, "Are you guys okay? Was anyone hurt?"

Aya twitched and looked away sourly.

Another girl joined the first, "They said on the news that he's wanted for torturing and raping a girl, and killing her brother, three years ago!"

Yuki moved closer to Aya, watching her carefully, "That's what they said." The red-haired girl kept her eyes firmly on the floor, shoulders tense.

"Aya-kun, Aya-kun, are you okay? You look pale…" the first girl asked, frightened, "Did… Did you know the girl?"

"Yeah, yeah, you looked really upset when they arrested him!" the second girl asked.

Aya's voice was low and dangerous, "Shut up, I don't wanna talk about it. Get away from me."

"Aya-kun…?" one of them whimpered uncertainly.

Yuki pushed his way between them, "Aya-kun is just a little shaken up right now, that's all."

"I-I'm sorry, Aya-kun… I hope I didn't bother you."

"Yeah. Thanks, Yuki-kun."

The two girls skittered away, looking repentant. Yuki turned to attend to Aya, only to find her gone. With a sigh, he sent a quick prayer that she wouldn't do something she'd regret later, and then left for class.

Yuki hadn't seen Aya for awhile, and he wondered briefly if maybe she'd gone home. At lunch, he sat outside with his three male roommates and Noi.

"Hey, wasn't Aya following you around before, Yuki? Where is she?" Takenaga blinked at the boy, and Noi seconded him.

"Ah… some girls brought up Saturday night, and she got upset and ran off. I figured she just wanted to be alone awhile, so I let her be."

"Saturday night? Did something happen?" Noi turned to Takenaga expectantly.

"Don't you watch the news, Noi-chan? They caught some murderer trying to sneak into our house." Kyohei replied. He glanced to Yuki, annoyed that the boy wouldn't tell them anything about the guy except that he killed Aya's brother.

Yuki noticed his look, "I'm not going to tell any of you. I promised Aya that I wouldn't."

"That was _your_ house?!" Noi cried, covering her mouth, and her eyes slowly widened, "They said that he raped a girl and killed her brother… Wh-What did he want with you guys…?" She looked to be in denial.

Kyohei narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at Yuki, "Is that… what you're not telling us about Aya?"

"What? What about Aya-chan?!" Noi cried.

Yuki closed his eyes and turned away, hesitating, "…That girl… was Aya."

There was silence in the small group, and Noi leaned heavily on Takenaga's shoulder, looking up.

"Oh, Aya-chan…" her eyes watered, and Takenaga shyly looped an arm around her.

"Hey, look." Ranmaru looked up at the school rooftop, indicating a figure standing at the railing.

The others looked up, and Yuki squinted at it, "I think its Aya. What's she doing up there?"

"I don't know… it looks like she's just standing there." Kyohei shrugged.

Noi pointed, "Look, someone else is there, too!"

Two figures, boys, approached, standing just behind her. They seemed to be speaking to her, and Aya turned her head. After a few moments of conversing, one of the boys moved toward her, reaching for her… neck? Chest? The onlookers couldn't tell. Aya sidestepped him and put up her arms, dropping into a defensive crouch. The by-standing boy yelled something, mimicking her pose.

"Oh no… she's going to try and fight them!" Noi cried out, "We have to go help her!"

The boy threw a punch that Aya dodged, and the other one caught her by the hair.

The four boys stood with Noi and ran to the rooftop.

Kyohei reached her first, ready to beat up the two boys and save Aya. He found the two knocked unconscious, lying on the ground, with Aya a few feet away, sulking quietly.

"Ah, Aya, you knocked them out!" he sounded amazed, and received a glance. She tugged at the front of her jacket, and huddled in on herself.

"Aya-chan, are you okay?!" Noi rushed to the girl's side.

"Ah… he ripped my shirt." Aya indicated the tear vaguely, "I suppose I should… head home, then."

"You can't wander around with barely a shirt on!" Noi scolded and huddled in front of her, peering over her shoulder at the boys, "Lend her one of your shirts! It's not proper for a girl to go shirtless!"

The boys debated who was going to give up his shirt, and finally Ranmaru began to take off his, surrendering it to the girl.

Noi took it from him and ordered the boys to turn around before helping Aya out of her torn shirt and into Ranmaru's.

"There! It's a little big, but school's almost over. Ranmaru-kun can go wear his gym shirt."

Aya smiled half-heartedly and thanked the redhead boy, then giggled and sniffed the collar, "I like your cologne, Ranmaru-kun." He smirked and left to get his gym shirt.

"Aya-kun?!" a small crowd of girls rushed onto the roof and past Ranmaru, surrounding those still standing around.

"Aya-kun, we saw you fighting! Are you okay?" a girl tugged on her arm, "You're not hurt are you?"

Aya shook off the questions, "No, no, I'm fine. I think… I think I'll go home. Yuki, could I copy your notes later?"

"Uh… yeah." Yuki nodded, and Aya bowed her head against his shoulder, breathing a thanks before she left.

It started raining before school ended. Yuki regretted forgetting his umbrella, and quickly realized that he wasn't the only one.

"What do we do? Brave it?" Kyohei glanced out the school doors, "I don't think it'll stop soon."

"Hey, look! We've been rescued!" Yuki cheered, pointing out Aya. She waved to them from the passenger side of a large red truck.

"…Are we all going to fit in there?" Takenaga wondered aloud as they approached; There were already three people inside.

When they approached, she jumped out and opened the back door, saying, "Ah, sorry! Last minute thing… you might have to double up!"

It was cramped, but Kyohei and Ranmaru sat in the back with Aya in the space between them and Sunako – who looked ready to pass out – in Kyohei's lap, and in the front, Takenaga sat with Yuki on his lap and Yoji between him and the driver – Yuki recognized him from the stables.

"Sorry about this, everyone, but it would suck if you all got stuck in the storm." Aya apologized, then moved on to introductions, "Ah, the one driving is Toshihiko-juui. He's our veterinarian. And you all got off to a rough start with Yoji-kun. This is Yoji Katsunuma, a friend of mine that lives at the stables." She systematically introduced her roommates.

"What are you doing in town here?" Yuki asked.

The driver, Toshihiko, answered, "We needed supplies, and Yoji-kun wanted to visit Aya-chan." Yoji blushed hotly and looked away. The man went on, "Anyway, could someone point me in the right direction?"

Yuki readily offered up directions.

When they reached home, it was still raining, and Kyohei carried the unconscious Sunako into the house, followed by Ranmaru and Takenaga. Yuki dawdled a bit, waiting while Aya and Yoji lugged sacks of feed from under a tarp in the back of the truck and into the backseat.

"Hey… Yukinojo-kun, was it? What happened at school today, with Aya-chan? Why was she wearing your friend's shirt?" he looked suspicious, "You boys aren't doing anything to her, are you?"

Yuki forced down his blush, "No, no, nothing like that. She got in a fight at school, and her shirt got ripped, that's all."

Toshihiko seemed to be measuring him up, then suddenly smiled broadly, "I think she likes you, you know. Whenever she talks to us, it's always 'Yuki this, Yuki that.'"

Yuki turned red, and was saved by Aya, "Toshihiko-juui, you're not telling Yuki anything weird, are you?"

Yoji glared at the blonde boy with a new rage, and Yuki wondered if he'd overheard.

"No, of course not!" the man denied with a chuckle.

Aya looked suspicious, but finally said, "Hey, why don't you two come inside for tea? Do you think that'd be okay, Yuki?"

"I still have running to do. Yoji-kun, why don't you go in? I'll pick you up when I'm done. Go on, you'll just get in my way." The man shooed Yoji from the car, and drove away before he could protest.

Aya laughed awkwardly, "Come on, Yuki, Yoji-kun. Let's get out of this rain before we catch a cold."

Sunako already had tea and riceballs out when they got inside, presumably for the others as Takenaga was already eating and Kyohei was just leaving with a riceball in hand. Or maybe someone had scrounged up the desire to have tea and riceballs; Sunako was nowhere in sight, and Aya figured _someone_ had to know how to make them.

"You two sit down while I go get towels. Yoji-kun, be nice." Aya disappeared from the room, wondering aloud if Sunako was okay. Yoji seemed to have barely heard her, contemplating something as he slowly chewed on his riceball. Yuki watched him from the corner of his eye.

It was funny, the blonde thought. This boy, who was only a year younger than himself, who viciously protected Aya with all he could muster, whose face was permanently set in a frown, somehow seemed much younger than him, and somehow seemed frightened.

"Yu…ki…-kun…" the boy said slowly, quietly, as if he wasn't even sure he wanted to speak. He didn't raise his head, didn't even move a muscle, until somehow he knew that he had the blonde's attention. Slowly, with a shaking hand, Yoji set down the half-eaten rice ball, then set himself down in a chair. He rose his head, but only a little, to stare distantly at the plate in the middle of the table. He was finally speaking, in a soft, uncertain voice, "Is… Aya-san… okay? Is she… is she sad?"

He sounded so much like a young boy that Yuki wasn't sure if this was really Yoji he was talking to, "Yoji-kun?"

"She's not… she's not hurt… is she…?"

"No, why would Aya be hurt?" Yuki set down his own riceball and fully faced the boy, "Yoji-kun, did something happen? Are _you_ okay?"

The boy physically recoiled at his words, straightening in the chair. His hands clenched the sides of the seat, and he tucked his chin against his throat. He looked like he was waiting to be hit. "It's my fault, right? Aya-san is mad at me, and that's why she's acting weird. I don't mean to hurt her, I just do!" he blurted out, voice shaking.

Takenaga was watching from the other end of the table, silent, and Yuki glanced helplessly to him.

"Why is it your fault?" the dark-haired boy asked.

Yoji's cheeks flamed red, he braced himself more firmly, and he finally said, "It's my fault, 'cause I lo… 'cause I love Aya-san."

Again, the boys exchanged glances, and Takenaga stood to move into the chair on Yoji's opposite side. The boy flinched and jerked his head up to stare at him before dropping his face again, bringing his arms up to block a blow that no one had thought to throw. The expression of pure terror that Takenaga had witnessed in that brief moment had him rooted to the spot.

"What…" Yuki managed to start, then his voice faded off.

"_We think in the same, messed up way."_

"_I'm afraid of losing people, so I don't get close enough in the first place."_

"_If someone were to injure you, I would feel the need to go beat up that person."_

It clicked. His self-protecting thoughts had cornered him.

Slowly and carefully, so as not to startle the boy, Yuki lightly pushed the boy's arms down from their defensive position, "Yoji-kun, I think… I think I get it. You can't allow yourself to be close to her, can you?"

The odd-eyed boy nodded, mumbling, "She'll hurt me… she'll just hurt me…"

"But if you aren't close to her… she'll be upset, won't she? And it will be your fault…"

"Aya-san hates me, doesn't she?"

"No, Aya doesn't hate you, Yoji-kun. I think you're one of her best friends… because you both understand each other so well."

Yoji's face was lowered again, hidden behind dark bands. He sniffed.

"Aya… is just a little shaken up today. She had a rough day at school, and she's shaken up about the arrest. I think that she must have been glad to see you."

Yoji didn't move, didn't make a sound.

"Are you okay, Yoji-kun?"

His shoulders twitched; something abut the phrase had some odd fear effect on him. The blonde hugged him, then, like he'd done for Aya when she was upset. The boy jumped, and his hands twitched at Yuki's sides, uncertain.

"Its okay, Yoji-kun. It's not your fault."

Yoji's fingers curled into fists, gripping his shirt, and he whined almost silently against the older boy.

Aya returned, and Yoji jerked away, face reddening. Yuki was almost surprised to find that the boy hadn't shed a tear.

The girl looked about the room, contemplating the situation, "…What's going on?"

Takenaga diverted her attention, "How is Sunako-chan?"

"She's up. I made her go take a shower, because she was soaked through. I hope she doesn't catch a cold." Methodically, she began to hand out the towels she carried with her, and Takenaga and Yuki dried themselves off. Yoji draped it over his shoulders, but seemed lost in his own world again. She blinked at him, but shook it off, reaching for a rice ball.

Yoji's chair scraped harshly, and clattered to the floor as the boy stood suddenly, abruptly. He met her gaze, face set with determination.

"Aya-san, I like you a lot."

She paused midway to a rice ball, blinked, and gave it up, tilting her head at him instead.

"I know… that you like Yuki-kun…"

Aya straightened, blinked rapidly, "I… what?"

Takenaga stared at Yuki, who turned pink and covered his face with the towel, under the ruse of drying his hair.

"But I hope… that you can still be my best friend…" he swallowed nervously, then turned to Yuki, who peered out from under the towel. The boy raised his voice, and there was contempt in it, but it was empty, "And you… you girl-brat! You'd better take care of Aya-san, or I'll kick your ass. Got that?"

"But… I… I'm not…" Aya was stuttering helplessly, even as Yoji turned and stalked from the building.

As soon as he was gone, there was applause from the doorway. The three remaining in the room looked up at Ranmaru and Kyohei, eyes filled with tears.

Aya winced, "Quit being such girls. I'm not in love with Yuki, he's just the first male friend I've had who doesn't think I'm his mother." She paused, glancing at the blonde, "…You don't think I'm your mother, right?"

"Right." He agreed, serious. The others looked confused, but didn't ask.

"I don't think Yoji-kun thinks of you as a _mother_…" Ranmaru replied instead.

Aya twitched and tuned pink, "Yes, well, I get that _now_."

"You couldn't _tell_?!" the male redhead looked shocked.

Aya looked guilty, "What do you mean?"

All four boys stared at her, incredulous.

"He's so possessive!"

"And jealous!"

"And that present he gave you!"

"And—"

"I get it. Shut up." She covered her face, "But you can't blame me. The last time I had a guy in love with me I just ignored him. And I'm the only one Yoji-kun ever opens up to; I figured it was his personality."

"You just _ignored_ him?" Yuki sounded aghast, "You _ignored_ a kid when you _knew_he was in love with you? How cruel!"

She looked guilty, "I was 13 and still shunning humankind. I ignored everyone. He's probably forgotten about it anyway."

"You don't have a lot of social skills, do you?" Kyohei asked.

"Look who's talking." She shot back flatly, "Anyway, what does it matter?"

"I know!" Ranmaru suddenly pounded his fist into his palm, startling everyone around him.

There was silence, and finally, Yuki dared to break it, "…What do you know?"

"Machiko-chan dumped you again, didn't she, Yuki?"

Yuki's eyes teared up and he pouted, "Yeah, so? You don't have to sound so excited about it."

Aya looked upset, "What happened, Yuki? Did you and Machiko-chan get in a fight?"

"They'll get back together by the end of the week. Breaking up must turn them on or something." Kyohei shrugged, "They break up every other week."

"Does not!" Yuki denied.

"Good! I know the perfect way to get both Sunako-chan and Aya to learn some social skills so they can become true ladies!" Ranmaru continued as if no one had spoken. Everyone turned their attention on him again.

"And how is that?" Aya frowned, dubious.

"A date!" Ranmaru clapped a hand on her back.

There was, again, a moment of silence.

Finally Aya managed, "I don't think Sunako-chan and I get along so well as to go on a date…"

"No, no, not with each other." He scolded, "Sunako-chan would be escorted by Kyohei, and you, Aya, would be escorted by Yuki."

"But… If Machiko-chan finds out…" Yuki mumbled timidly.

"It's not a _real_ date, Yuki." Ranmaru offered comfortingly, "And besides, what Machiko-chan doesn't know, won't hurt her, right?"

"Why do I gotta go on a date with Sunako-chan?!" Kyohei protested loudly, "Why don't _you_ go?!"

Ranmaru offered no response, going off to find a phone, "Don't worry, I'll make all the plans."

"I'm not going with _him_."

Everyone in the room froze and turned to stare at Sunako, where she stood in the doorway like a ghost.

"Oh, come on, Sunako-chan! It'll be _fun_! You can go see that new horror movie that came out!" Ranmaru reasoned.

Aya inspected her nails, "You don't wanna see that one, it sucks. There's hardly any blood or anything. The only reason it's not PG-13 is because there's a few naked people, drugs, and people on drugs having sex. It's like a bad porno."

"…You saw it?" Sunako asked cautiously.

"I did. Yoji-kun took me." She glanced up at Ranmaru, "As far as I'm concerned, there aren't any movies in theater that I want to see."

Sunako nodded in agreement.

Ranmaru faltered, "Well… there's… um…" he stopped to think, then looked to the others. None of them offered an alternative.

"It won't work." Kyohei finally announced, "Even if you do manage to get her to go, _I'm_ not gonna go."

The matchmaker/playboy looked put out, "Then… Aya, Yuki?"

The two looked embarrassed, not looking at each other.

"I… don't have anything to wear. People are supposed to dress up on dates, right?" Aya tried weakly.

"You've never been on a date? Not even once?" Yuki swung around, looking surprised.

She pointed at herself, "Dating virgin." She paused, thinking, then pouted and tucked her hands under her chin, nudging her cheek against Yuki's shoulder and staring at Ranmaru, almost crying, "I'm a dating virgin and you're gonna force Yuki-kun to take my _first time_?"

Yuki's face turned red, "Don't make it sound like that! It's not even a real date!"

Kyohei and Takenaga were doubled over in laughter, and Ranmaru looked like he might give in, "D-Don't think that face will change my mind! You need to become a lady!"

Aya continued to stare at him, whimpering like a puppy.

"What are you, a dog?! Quit looking at me like that!" the redhead turned his back on her.

Kyohei came up behind her, still laughing as he draped an arm around her shoulders, "What, can't take it? Man, Aya, that's great!"

She smiled sweetly, "There's a damn good reason I—hey, where'd that brat sneak off to?" she stopped and looked around, startled at Ranmaru's absence.

Takenaga cleared his throat, "In the next room, setting up your date, I believe."

"Ah, that brat!"


	12. Chapter 12: A 'Not Actually A Date' Date

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Twelve**  
Author:**Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing:**None yet. **  
Rating:**Overall: PG-13. This Chapter: PG-13-ish

**Warnings**: a little kissing is all, and an excessively amused Takenaga. Slight sexual innuendo.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** Yuki and Aya are sent off on their date, and Aya adds her own twist to it.

A/N: Err, yeah, sorry about the mix-up. I'm not exactly sure what happened -- if I uploaded the wrong file or what -- but it's fixed now. Thanks goes to Ugly.Beautiful for pointing that out to me... because I certainly wouldn't have caught it. swetadrops

**Chapter Twelve: A 'Not-Actually-a-Date' Date**

"Here, try this one on." Noi handed over a new dress, and Aya sighed, stripping off the slim dress she already wore and draping it across the bed.

Taking the new outfit, she inspected it, her face coloring, "Oh, great. I get to go a not-actually-a-date date with Yuki while wearing no bra. Am I _trying_ to seduce him?"

Noi laughed, "Come on, it's not that bad. Try it on!"

The auburn-haired girl sighed and flipped her bra over her head and carelessly onto the floor before sliding into the lavender cocktail dress and white gossamer jacket. Flicking her hair out of the back, she peered in the mirror.

"Again, am I trying to seduce him? Look! It doesn't even reach my knees!" she tugged down the bottom of the dress, then self-consciously tried to cover her cleavage.

"You look really pretty, though, Aya-chan!" Noi cried in delight, taking her 'doll's' hair in hand and whipping it up into a high ponytail, then pausing. Touching a scar that marred the surface of Aya's back, Noi gathered the hair over the other girl's shoulder, "Oh, what's this? Is it from…"

"It is." Aya nodded tersely.

"…Then we'll leave your hair down. Let me put some concealer on it, first." She pulled out a small bottle and started to unscrew the lid.

"Hey, hey, hold on a second! I'm allergic to that stuff!"

"You are…?" Noi frowned, replacing the lid, "Oh, all right. Are you allergic to lipstick?"

"…I don't think so…" the other girl sighed faintly, turning back to the mirror, "Why does it matter if I look good, if it's not a real date, anyway?"

"But isn't it fun to dress up once in awhile?" Noi asked, smoothing down the other's waist-length hair.

"Honestly? This is the first time I've worn a dress since I was five and Mom made me be the flower girl at my aunt's wedding."

"Really?"

There was knock at the door, and Takenaga came in, "Are you ready, Aya? You're ride is here."

Aya sighed, "Don't ask me."

"You're just nervous! You look great!" Noi praised, giggling, "Right, Takenaga-kun?"

"Right." He agreed, chuckling as he shooed her from the room, "Go on, Yuki's waiting to take your -- haha-- _first time_."

"Takenaga-kun, that's horrible!" Noi looked shocked.

"It's just a joke." He chuckled as they followed Aya downstairs.

She stalled at the bottom of the stairs, then made to go back up, "Screw this, I ain't going!"

"Yes you are, come on! You can't back out _now_!" Takenaga blocked her path.

"But this… I'm not going out in public like this! I'll… I'll get hit on or something!" she protested, desperate.

"Is getting hit on so bad? You get it all the time at school. Come on, Yuki-kun will be there." Noi attempted.

"Aya?" Yuki wandered into the room, and the girl bolted to hide behind Takenaga. Yuki tilted his head in confusion.

"Come on, Aya-chan, it won't kill you." Noi patiently led the red-faced girl out, trying not to laugh as she clutched the front of the jacket closed as if it did any good, "Yuki-kun doesn't bite, I'm sure of it."

"…How come all you own is short little dresses? I'm not going anywhere like this. It's embarrassing."

Noi just giggled, "You look really good in it, though. Go on, ask Yuki-kun. I bet he agrees, too."

Yuki approached, laughing a bit, "She's right, you know. Come on, let's go." He smiled at her.

She looked away sharply, "…whatever."

Yuki laughed almost helplessly and led her to the front door.

Noi giggled once they'd left, "I think she really does like him. It's kind of cute."

Takenaga laughed through his nose, "She doesn't get it, either, it seems. You should have seen her yesterday."

"Hey, wait! What was that 'first time' thing about?! You guys aren't planning to do anything weird to her, are you?!" Noi suddenly cried.

The boy just laughed, "No, that was _her_ phrasing." He tried – and failed – to mimic her pout and cried in a girlish voice, "I'm a dating virgin and you're gonna force Yuki-kun to take my _first time_?"

Noi cracked up.

Ranmaru came in, looking weirded out, "Takenaga… that's creepy. Don't do that."

The dark-haired boy straightened, chuckling softly.

"Where did Ranmaru mail us off to first?" Aya asked softly in an attempt to distract herself. He'd hired a car for them, and she assumed that the driver knew where to go.

Yuki shrugged, "I don't know. He wouldn't tell me."

"Really? How rude…" she sighed, hesitated, then spoke up again, "What's… What's the point of this?"

"You forgot?"

"No, I mean… how is this supposed to make me more lady-like?"

"Oh." Yuki looked thoughtful, "Ranmaru is always saying a girl needs to be appreciated to… 'shine.' I guess it makes sense."

"How so?" She forgot her discomfort in favor of discovering Morii's motives.

"Well, if everyone just ignores you and doesn't care, you'd probably be upset, right? You're doing everything you can to get their attention, and you're not being yourself. And a person looks their best when they're being themselves."

"Yeah, I can see that." She nodded in understanding. "Like Noi-chan. Everyone likes her, and she's really pretty. Is she dating Takenaga?"

"They're not dating… But they might as well be." Yuki grinned, "But Takenaga is really shy."

"Oh, cool!" Aya leaned over him to look at the car beside them when they stopped for traffic, "Look at that! A Lamborghini Diablo! You don't see a lot of those around here; it must be a collector's!"

Yuki looked at the car, a sharp red sports car, "You… know a lot about cars?"

"Of course! Grandpa was a car collector." She grinned excitedly at him, "That there… that's a '91 Diablo VT. It has a top speed of 205 MPH and has a V12 engine. 'Course, a car like that is generally useless outside of being flashy, but it's still cool."

The car they were in pulled over, and the driver reached back and handed them a business card, "Here's your stop. Call me when you're done."

"Thank you." Yuki replied, taking the card and getting out. He held the door open as Aya got out behind him.

The two stopped and stood on the sidewalk, staring at the building they'd been dropped off at, 'Flowers on the Wall.'

"Well… it looks popular, at any rate." She commented.

"I've heard of it. They have all kinds of entertainment on different days. Karaoke, Live bands, DJs…"

She unconsciously shifted closer to him, "…So… it'll be crowded?"

He glanced at her, "I dunno, maybe. Let's go inside."

Inside, they were placed at a small table an offered menus. They ordered, and sat back to look around while they waited. On the other side of the partition by their booth, teens were dancing, and against the wall on a stage a DJ was taking requests.

"Hey, Aya?" Yuki spoke up, watching the dance floor, "Wanna dance?"

"…OK. Sure." She looked to him, "Now?"

"Yeah. They're just starting a new song." He stood and offered his hand to her. Laughing a bit, she took it and allowed him to help her up.

The new song was slow, and Yuki mimicked the pair beside them, holding Aya about the waist. She watched him glance at the other pair and giggled.

"You don't know any slow dances? That's a shame." She teased, and took the lead, murmuring the steps into his ear. He picked it up quickly, and by the time their food arrived, they looked like any other young couple.

Shortly after they'd finished their meals, the waiter informed them that their bill was already covered, and they loitered, finishing their drinks.

Aya glanced up from her malt, "Where do you think we'll be shipped off to next?"

"I dunno. I'd say a movie, but you said there weren't any you wanted to see." He pulled out the business card, "Should we call the driver?"

"In here? You wouldn't be able to hear a thing. Let's go outside. We can go for a walk or something until he gets here." She downed the last of her shake, "Ready?"

One movie (Ranmaru had located a theater playing some sort of horror-fest and gotten them into a movie called 'Tokyo Psycho.' Yuki had sworn revenge on Ranmaru, and Aya swore to worship him for finding the movie.), a shopping mall, and an ice cream shop later, the pair was again in the car, heading home this time.

Aya peered upward through the sunroof, then leaned forward to talk to the driver quietly. The driver nodded and changed course.

"Where are we going? It's late, Aya." Yuki looked tired, and she smiled patiently.

"It's a secret." She responded coyly, "You'll like it, though."

"…It had better not be another _horror movie_…" he moaned. The driver chuckled, and tried to cover it with a cough.

"It's not, it's not." She giggled, "Though that one _was_ pretty fun."

"I'm going to have nightmares for weeks…" he whimpered, traumatized.

Aya drew up close, lifting his chin with two fingers and purring, "Would you like for me to hold you, then, to fend off those nightmares?"

He turned red and jerked back, "You! Stop changing personalities!"

"Is this the place?" the driver pulled up a driveway, glancing back in askance.

"Yes, that's it. Thank you!" Aya jumped out almost before the car had stopped, then leaned down to talk to the driver, "You can go home or whatever, now. I have something else in mind for our return trip." She bowed, "Thank you for your services."

He bowed his head in return and drove away.

Yuki watched the car drive away, then glanced about, "It's just an empty field… where are we?"

She grinned and motioned for him to follow, "My grandpa used to own this, but he sold it to a family friend. I played out here as a little girl."

He looked around again, "…Played _what_?"

"Have you no imagination?! There are all sorts of things to do out here! I could play with the dogs, or we could play hide-and-seek… One winter, my grandpa and I made my entire family out of snowmen!" she spread her arms and spun, laughing, "We rode horses out here, too! And Ryou and I made a secret base that lasted an entire year! And we'd climb that tree over there and imagined that we could see the entire world!"

Yuki smiled, "It sounds like you had a lot of fun."

She nodded, calming down. Quietly, she approached the tree that she had climbed as a child and felt the bark. A grin touched her lips, and she suddenly kicked off her shoes and draped the jacket over a low branch.

"What are you doing? You'll ruin Noi-chan's dress." He warned.

"I'll be careful." She responded, scrambling up the side of the tree and disappearing within the leaves. He heard her rustle about, and a victorious 'Aha!'

"What is it?" he walked around the base, but could only catch a glimpse of her straddling a thick limb.

"Our writings. They're still here." She sounded nostalgic.

He continued to stare upwards, and finally curiosity got the better of him, "Hey, I'm coming up."

He clambered up the tree, much slower than she had, until he found her. Standing on a lower branch, he peered at the crude carvings in the branch she sat on. He could only make out a few, but what he could make out included things like 'Ryou ♥'s Nagisa-chan' (followed by an illegible scribble that seemed to be a denial), a badly drawn squirrel, and a cryptic message saying 'Where sun meets earth.'

"What's up with this?" he asked, pointing out the message.

She laughed, "We used to play this game called hints. One person hid something, and made hints that would lead to other hints. The final hint would lead to the prize." She thought a moment, tracing the message, "This one means stable 2, on the partition between stalls 6 and 7. We had a horse name 'Ohisama' (Sun) in stall 6, and another named 'Chi' (earth) in stall 7."

"Oh, I get it! That's really neat!" he scanned the branch again, "What's this?" he touched what seemed to be some sort of map, but the landmarks were odd things like animals and odd shapes.

"It's our map. We mapped out the entire field and the areas that were surrounding it at the time. Squirrels are major trees, like this one, horses are stables, dogs are dog kennels, squares are animal pens…" she had apparently finished looking over the carvings, Come up here, on this branch." She pulled herself onto the next branch up, and Yuki moved to where she'd been sitting. Aya snapped off a branch of leaves before reaching down and turning his head, "There, look at that. Isn't it great?"

He looked out over the field, and off in the distance, he could make out water – the ocean? – and mountains, "Wooow!" he cried excitedly, "You really can see everything from here!"

She grinned down at him, "It's even better from the top, but I'm not convinced that you can get down from where you are."

The blonde looked down, only now realizing how high up he was. Unconsciously, he clung closer to the trunk.

Aya giggled and nimbly dropped down beside him, making the limb bounce. She stood on it, holding another limb above her head, "Just follow me." Without waiting for a response, she slid down to another branch, bounced on it a bit to test it, then made room for him between her and the trunk, "Come on, I'll help you."

He nodded numbly and carefully lowered himself to the branch she was on. He had to stretch some, and she caught him roughly when he nearly slipped off.

"Ow…" he rubbed the back of his head where it had hit the trunk, and when he noticed her leaning against his chest with an arm around his waist gripping his back pocket and another extended past his head to hold on, his face colored.

Her face was a few inches from his, and she laughed a bit, breath fanning over his mouth, "That was close. I shouldn't have let you come up here, I guess." She backed off a bit, leading his hand to a place to hold onto and checking to be sure he wouldn't fall before she moved down another branch, "You okay? This one is easier, but it won't hold both of us."

He nodded, and she moved to the next branch. Cautious, Yuki followed her the rest of the way down. Once, she mis-stepped and cracked off a limb. Yuki had panicked and started to reach for her, only to watch her catch herself. She'd paused to inspect the limbs below her before picking another route as if it hadn't fazed her.

When they finally reached the base of the tree, the sun had gone down and the only light left came from the moon. Yuki flopped in the grass, swearing that he would never leave the ground again.

Aya had only giggled and pulled him to his feet again, "Come on, come on! Just a little further! Hurry, or it'll be too late!"

"Too late…? Where are we going…?" He asked, getting up. It was kind of hard to see, and he could hear animals somewhere out there, but Aya just grabbed his hand and led him away from the tree until they reached a rock outcropping. Aya scrambled to the top of it – maybe a foot off the group – and called for him to follow. On top, the rock was flat and at a slight tilt. The stone was still sun-warmed, and Aya invited him to lay down on it with her.

Curious, he did so, and after awhile of staring at the sky, Aya excitedly pointed out a shooting star, then another, and another.

"There's so many…" he murmured in awe. It almost looked like a fireworks display.

"It's a meteor shower." She explained, "Isn't it pretty?" She quieted, and Yuki glanced over at her. She stared fixedly at the sky, looking thoughtful.

"The last time I saw one… I was a little kid." Yuki confessed, "My dad took me on the roof of our house and pointed it out. I don't think I've actually watched one since then."

"I watch every meteor shower I can from here." She replied, then added, "…I haven't watched one with someone else since when Ryou and I came out here. You're… the first person I've brought out here since then.

Yuki propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at her, confused, "Why me?"

"I… don't know. It was a spur of the moment thing." She frowned, then changed the subject. "When I was a little kid, grandpa told Ryou and me that when a person dies, they become a star, way up in the sky. That way, they can keep watch over all of their loved ones." She pointed at a star, "I believe that one is Ryou. Because it's kinda small, but really bright. And on his right is grandma. The two of them were really close. When I die, I'm going to be with them, and Ryou and I are going to be really close again, and we'll watch everyone down here, and joke that it's much better to be high up in the sky with all our friends than it ever was down here on earth, where everyone is sad, and lonely, and hurt."

He sighed faintly, turning to look where she pointed, "…I like how your grandfather thought."

She nodded and lowered her arm, continuing to stare at the stars. Yuki watched her, entranced by the soft look on her face, highlighted with dim moonlight.

Before he completely registered his movements, he'd leaned in and placed a small kiss to her lips.

"Wha… Yuki…?" she blushed, touching her lips and turning to stare at him uncertainly.

His cheeks turned a bit pink, but he didn't move from where he was leaning over her, "I… uh… I'm sorry."

Her soft amber eyes studied him, and she hesitantly pushed herself up until she touched her lips against his, and held herself there a few seconds. Yuki jumped a bit, startled, before cautiously returning the chaste kiss. She sighed and closed her eyes, tilting her head and opening her mouth a little. He reciprocated, shyly slipping his tongue against her lower lip.

Her cell phone rang loudly, some kind of popular j-pop song breaking the silence. The two jerked apart, red-faced and stuttering.

"I... uh…" she tried, licking her lips, "I, uh… had better get that…"

"Yeah…"

They just stared at each other, until the ring tone began again and she yanked it from her pocket, "Hello?"

Yuki turned to stare at the sky, lost in thought.

"Yeah, um… I think that Toshihiko keeps spare bandaging in his office… No, I was already awake… Yeah, I saw the showers. Did you?... That's good. Take care, Takashi-kun." She hung up the phone, peering at the clock.

"What time is it?"

"Midnight. I'll call for a ride home." She dialed a number, and Yuki listened as she gave directions. When she hung up again, the two got down from the rock and walked back across the field, surrounded by a tense silence.

There was a car waiting for them, and Aya slid into the back seat with a thanks to the driver. Yuki slid in behind her.


	13. Chapter 13: Post Date Denial

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Thirteen**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: R. This Chapter: R?

**Warnings**: Ranmaru's mind (AKA more sexual innuendo)**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** Aya and Yuki return home late to face mother – I mean, Ranmaru's – questioning.

**Chapter Thirteen: Post-Date Denial **

"Well! Look who's sneaking home at the dead of night." Ranmaru teased, opening the front door as the pair approached, "I take it your date went well? My driver says he dropped you off at an empty field."

"It was grandpa's property. We were watching the meteor shower." Aya offered, moving past him.

Once she'd entered the hallway lights, pausing to kick off her shoes, Ranmaru whistled low, "If you're going to pretend nothing happened, maybe you two should have cleaned up a little better. It's a good thing Noi-chan said you can have that dress."

She finally noticed the state of her clothing, blinking at the tattered edges and noticing a tear by her hip. She vaguely noted the wound above her ankle and the blood that had dripped down her calf and dried. Yuki's clothes were ruffled, but not tattered.

"We were climbing a tree."

Ranmaru's eyebrows rose, "My, how kinky."

She twitched, too tired to be embarrassed, "Nothing happened."

He only shrugged and wandered off.

She glanced at Yuki, a bit of pink on her cheeks, "…Right? It was… a fluke, right?"

He didn't meet her gaze, kicking off his shoes and walking a few steps into the house, "I... don't know."

She stared quietly at her feet, thoughtful, as he headed up to his room.

"Hey!" Kyohei looked in from the living room, "You're back!"

Aya shook from her daze and took off her shoes, "Yeah, I'm back. Do you want something?"

"Your dog is in your room. He was driving us crazy!"

"Toki is a '_she.'_" She corrected, then looked upset, "You locked her in? I'm sure she just wanted to play. Haven't any of you had a dog?"

Kyohei shook his head, coming out of the room to stand before her, "I haven't. And she kept sitting at the door and crying. We let her out, and she wanted back in almost right away, then she wanted out again. Takenaga tried to feed her, but she wouldn't eat."

"She was bored. Getting you guys to let her in and out was entertaining, so that's what she did." Aya laughed a bit, heading for her room, "I'm surprised, though. I always took you to be one of those kids that had a puppy when he was little."

"My dad was allergic." He shrugged, "My brother had a lizard."

Toki came thundering down the hallway at her suddenly, and stopped at her feet, tail wagging so ferociously that the entire animals shook. Aya smiled down at the dog, spreading her arms, "Hello, love!"

The dog jumped up, paws on her owner's hips as if she were hugging her. Aya leaned down a little to hug the dog around the neck and cuddle her.

Kyohei laughed, reaching out to scratch the dog's ears, "Does she know any tricks?"

"Of course she does!" Aya held the dog's front paws in her hands, "Would you like to see?"

"Sure." He nodded.

Aya kissed the dog's nose, "Get your treats, love."

The animal turned and dashed back to Aya's room just as Takenaga appeared, looking amused, "Did your date go well, Aya? Noi-chan said you can keep that dress." He looked over the dress in question, "…I imagine that's a good thing."

Aya looked sheepish, "Yeah, uh… I woulda paid for it. It was either let Yuki-kun crack open his head or scuff up the dress."

"Oh?" both boys looked startled.

"We climbed up in a tree." She offered as an answer, and might have been asked to elaborate if Toki hadn't returned with her bag of treats in her mouth. Aya praised her, taking the treats.

"Does she know anything? Takenaga asked, spotting the dog biscuits.

Aya waved them into the living room, where there was more open space, and took out a treat, snapping it in half, "Sit."

The dog sat, but didn't receive a treat. Aya held up half in the air, and the dog jumped up on its hind legs. She twirled the treat in a small circle, and the dog spun around on her hind legs, then received her treat.

Once the treat was gone, Aya grinned at the dog, rubbing its head, "Are you ready, love? Do a good job!" She held up her left hand, "Gimme five!" the dog jumped up and gave her a high-five. Aya lifted her right hand, and the dog jumped up to high-five that hand with her right paw. Aya knelt, holding out her right hand again, "Low five!" the dog sat and batted at her hand, then repeated it for her left hand. Aya rubbed the animal's head and laughed, offering the remaining half of the treat.

Takenaga and Kyohei laughed, and the blonde came over, "Hey, will she do those tricks for me? Can I try?"

Aya looked up from where she was kneeling, "…I don't know, she might. Here. She only gets half at a time." She cracked another treat in half and handed it to him.

"Hey Toki! Look over here!" Kyohei waved the treat in front of the dog's nose to get its attention. It stared at him, as if you ask, _'What do _you_ want?'_

"Sit." He ordered. Toki just stared. He tried again, and this time the dog sat and reached forward to sniff his hand.

"She doesn't get treats for sitting. It's a basic command." Aya commented.

Kyo looked thoughtfully at the dog, then held the treat up above its head. The Toki jumped up, pressing her front paws into his chest and almost pushing him over.

"No cheating, pup!" Aya scolded, pressing the dog's chest back until it fell to the floor. She turned to Kyohei, "She does that to me, too. Because she likes to be lazy and doesn't want to balance herself."

Kyohei rubbed his chest where she'd jumped on him, idly wondering how much the dog weighed that it could throw him off balance like that. He lifted the treat again, and this time when the dog jumped up, he braced himself. But Toki remained on her own two legs, tottering unsteadily a little. He grinned and twirled the treat. Toki danced her little circle and caught the treat in her mouth when he dropped it.

Takenaga stole the remaining half of the treat from Kyohei, and caught Toki's attention. Grinning, he held up his hand, "Gimme five, Toki!"

Toki jumped up and slammed her paw into his hand. He laughed and completed the high-five trick before tossing the treat in the air. Toki caught it mid-flight.

Aya reached down to pet the dog, and a yawn cracked her jaw, "Well… I'm tired. I'm going to bed." She glanced up, "Why are you guys still up, anyway?"

"Waiting for Yuki and you to get home. When Ranmaru said you were late, we decided to stay up 'til you got back." Takenaga replied.

"…Why?" she asked cautiously, "Did you worry or something? You could have called my cell phone, you know."

"You never gave us your number." Ranmaru entered suddenly, carrying a damp washcloth and a roll of bandaging.

"Where's Yuki?" Kyohei asked of the other boy.

"Went to bed." Ranmaru shrugged, then smirked at Aya, "So, tell me… what happened that caused you two to come home from a big, empty field so late at night?"

Kyohei took the bandages and washcloth from the red-haired male, sniffing the cloth and asking, "Peroxide? I didn't even know we had peroxide."

"It's hers. She always uses it." Takenaga answered, leading the girl to a chair and telling her to sit.

Aya allowed Kyohei to prop her foot on his thigh as he washed the wound. She studiously ignored the original question, "Peroxide disinfects better than those salves you guys use. It gets all the dirt out."

"Well? If you don't answer, I'll just have to assume it was something naughty." Ranmaru taunted.

Aya looked bored, "I showed Yuki my lookout from when I was little, and we watched the meteor showers. That's all we did."

"And what about between the end of the meteor shower and when you two got home?"

"You'll make a great mom one day, Ranmaru. You have the paranoia and lack of respect for privacy down like nobody's business."

Kyohei snickered.

Ranmaru smirked, repeated, "If you don't tell us, we'll just assume."

"What do I care?" she scoffed, "Stop being annoying. Nothing happened."

"You two did it, didn't you?"

Her cheeks turned red in an instant, "What?! WHAT?!"

"I said—"

"I heard you! Shut up! Pervert!" she stood suddenly, the bandaging that Kyohei had been wrapping around her ankle unraveling. Toki jumped up and began to growl.

Aya looked rather disgusted, and made a move to say something, but thought better of it and stormed from the room, Toki at her heels.

"Woah, Ranmaru. You really pissed her off." Takenaga looked amazed.

"Yeah. You're dead, man." Kyohei agreed.

Ranmaru just ran his fingers through his hair, "I _told_ her I'd have to assume something happened if she didn't tell me."

Aya faced the wall, face bright red. The nerve of him, even _suggesting_ that she'd just… just… _jumped in the sack_ with her _best friend_. That kiss had been… it had just been the moment. She was so overwhelmed by emotion, remembering Ryou at the time, it had seemed like something special. Yuki… she didn't know what he had been thinking at the time. But he had Machiko-chan. He wasn't a womanizer like Ranmaru; he didn't need anyone but Machiko.

The idea of Yuki being a womanizer made her giggle.

Toki nosed her and she petted her dog, realizing somewhat dimly that she hadn't changed yet. A blush touched her cheeks; Kyohei ha the perfect opportunity to peek up the tiny skirt when he was bandaging her ankle. She wondered if he had.

Dragging herself to her feet, she grabbed a pair of boxers and an oversized t-shirt before heading for the shower. She'd seen Sunako going down the hall naked once – from her room to the bathroom, which was only a little ways – but she'd made sure the boys were upstairs already. The four boys hardly ever went back by their rooms anyway, but still Aya refused to risk it. She didn't have much modesty, but she wasn't about to wander around naked.

Passing Sunako's room, she paused. She couldn't hear the sounds of a horror movie playing, and wondered if the girl was already in the shower. Or had she gone to bed? Rapping her knuckles on the door she called, "Sunako-chan?"

There was a shuffling noise and the clatter of something being set on a table. The door creaked open slightly, and a violet eye peered out at her, "…Yes?"

"Uh… sorry. Am I interrupting something?" Aya blinked, "I was just gonna ask if you were done with the shower…?"

Sunako nodded, and when she went to close the door, Aya frowned internally; it was really sad how little the two of them interacted, "Hey, you like horror movies, right? Have you seen 'Tokyo Psycho'?"

The dark-haired girl's attention was peaked, "No."

Aya grinned, "Let's go see it tomorrow! I only got to see part of it, 'cause Yuki got scared. It looked real good!"

Sunako, by now, had come from her room, her eyes almost glowing as she demanded, "Tell me about it!"

"Well… it's supposed to be based on the Otaku Murders of 1988 and 1989, and that murder in 2003, where that Hiroyuki kid killed his mom with a baseball bat because _Neon Evangelion_ told him to. You've heard of those incidents, I assume?" Sunako only paused a moment to recall them before nodding. Aya continued, "Anyway, this girl is getting creepy love letters from her classmate, and all of a sudden her friends start disappearing! Anyway, much more than that would ruin the movie, but… let's see… it's a really violent movie, with all the usual demented psycho torture devices and such."

"Yes! I wanna see it!"

"Great!" Aya cheered excitedly.


	14. Chapter 14: Confession

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Fourteen**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: R. This Chapter: R?

**Warnings**: Fighting… otherwise, a-ok.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** Takenaga gets answers out of Aya…

**Chapter Fourteen: Confession**

"…Gotta hot date?"

"Huh?" Aya glanced into the front room, pausing in brushing out her hair. Ranmaru stared at her.

"You look like you're going somewhere." He pointed out.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "…And that means I'm going on a date, how?"

He only shrugged and turned back to whatever he was doing.

"…I'm going to a movie with Sunako-chan." She decided to tell him, in case he was looking for the other girl later on.

When Sunako appeared, Aya bid Ranmaru good-bye and the pair left.

When the two girls returned, they wandered into the kitchen to drop off the take-out meals they'd picked up for the boys. Takenaga looked up from the dining room table as they passed.

"Oh, you brought food? Sorry, we already ate." He looked almost guilty, finishing off the last of his cup noodles. The other three had apparently already finished.

"Here, Sunako-chan. I'll just put these in the fridge for tomorrow then. You go eat." Aya took the food from the other girl, leaving their meals on the counter. Sunako nodded and retreated to her room.

"Hey, Aya, can I ask you something?" Takenaga entered the kitchen area, voice low as if he didn't want anyone to hear. He looked concerned, so Aya put off starting her meal in favor of listening.

"Yes, what is it? Is something wrong?" she leaned against the counter.

"When you and Yuki were on that date… what exactly happened?" when she opened her mouth to retort that nothing had happened, he interrupted, "Yuki's been acting weird since then. Machiko-chan called him today, and he didn't want to talk to her."

She quieted, shifting on her feet and hesitating to answer, "It… uh… It wasn't much. We just kinda… we kissed. But I think… I think it was an accident." Her cheeks flushed.

Takenaga didn't look surprised for some reason, "…You really do like him, don't you?"

"I-I…" her eyes widened, "I don't! I… Yuki has Machiko-chan. He's not some kind of playboy like Ranmaru is. He's so in love with Machiko-chan…"

"I asked about you, not Yuki." Takenaga shook his head, "What do _you_ feel for him?"

She lowered her head, "At first… he reminded me of Ryo. He was always so friendly, and caring, and lively… it was like my little brother had just magically come to life again. And I wanted to protect him and be a good older sister, like I couldn't be to Ryo." She paused, "And then… sometime before _he_ was arrested, I realized Yuki wasn't my brother, and couldn't replace Ryo. He was more like… my best friend or something. Now… Now I don't know." She hugged herself, "Now it's more… it hurts. It _hurts_ to see him with Machiko-chan, or to see him upset. Like… at the movie that Ranmaru sent us to. It was a horror movie. I love that type of thing, but at the time, I _hated_ it, because it was scaring Yuki. Takenaga… I don't like this." She sighed a bit shakily, dropping her head against his shoulder. Her fingers clenched on his shirt.

He smiled kindly, wrapping his arms around her. Instead of replying, he just held her, feeling her shoulders shake a little with restrained tears.

Kyohei looked thoughtful, his goal of retrieving his dinner long since abandoned as he walked away from the kitchen's entryway.

Aya turned to look blearily at the clock in the school library, then back down at her book, "Oh… maybe I should get home…" She stood and looked around for the librarian, checked out her book, and headed for her locker.

Popping her hat on her head and tucking her ponytail up under it – long hair could get so hot in the summer – she wondered aloud if maybe one of the guys had hung around after school. She checked their lockers – even Sunako's, just to be thorough – and discovered everyone had already left. Well, that was upsetting. She'd have to go home alone.

Humming to some tune stuck in her head, Aya headed home. She was nearly there when she heard a startled yelp and what sounded like a scuffle. Stopping short, the girl turned to stare across the street. A couple of boys had someone cornered, and were shouting; something about some girl.

The girl weighed her options. She could intervene; maybe help out the kid they were picking on. It wasn't right, after all. Or she could leave them to it; as far as she could tell, it wasn't a fist fight, and they didn't seem to be inflicting any sort of major psychological damage. She looked again, and her eyes narrowed. Was that Yuki?

"You're always dumping her and then going back! What kind of man does that?! Huh?!" one of the boys yelled.

"Yeah! And I saw you out with another girl the other day!" the other shouted.

"You don't deserve a girl like Machiko-chan!" the first boy raised his fist, "I don't know what she sees in a pretty boy like you, anyway!"

The fist came down, and there was a cry of pain, "Please, stop!"

Aya moved before she could think about it. Another punch was thrown, and she placed herself in its path, staring coldly at the dark-haired boy. She barely flinched as it connected with her jaw.

"You, what do you think you're doing?! Protecting this weakling?!"

"You won't touch him." She commanded coldly, pressing Yuki backward with her body. She heard him say her name, and looked back at him. His eye was bruised already, and there was a red mark on his jaw – had they already hurt him?

The two boys laughed, "Then we'll just take care of you first! Don't try to be the hero, we're tough!"

Another punch was thrown when her head was turned, and the force of it knocked her hat off. She turned back to them, blocking the next hit with an arm and kicking out. She didn't have much space… her next kick threw the shorter of the boys away from her, and she grabbed the remaining one's fist in her hand, twisting the arm around painfully and throwing him down on the concrete.

The first boy came rushing at her; she went to dodge, but thought better of it. Yuki was still behind her. She took the body slam full force, smirked directly into his face, and sharply kneed him in the crotch. Before he could jerk away, she brought her heel down on his toes and grabbed him around the neck.

The boy still on the ground grabbed her ankle and yanked her down to the cement. With a yelp, she dragged down her prisoner, managing to slam his face into the ground.

She found herself on her stomach, and before she could regain her footing, the one that had dragged her down had pinned her and was punching her head, grounding her face into the concrete.

"A-Aya…! Stop it!" Yuki cried, but was ignored.

Aya's fingers slipped into her pocket – the idiot had left her hand free – and she withdrew a pen. Her fingers deftly twirled the writing utensil around, aimed the sharp point, and she randomly stabbed. The boy let out a scream and released her.

Aya scrambled to her feet and stumbled toward Yuki. Her hand caught his and she jerked him forward, "Let's go!"

"Aya, you're hurt!" he cried, trying to keep up. She was strangely fast for having just had her head slammed into the pavement.

"Shut up, I don't care!" she snapped, turning sharply down an alleyway, then another, and another, until she'd decided they'd gone far enough.

The girl collapsed against a wall, holding her head, "Ow… that hurts…"

Yuki knelt beside her, trying to look at her face, "How are you still conscious?"

"Will power." She smirked painfully; the action reopened the tear on her lip, and fresh blood dripped down her chin. She reached for her pocket and withdrew her cell phone, but couldn't see it clearly. With a sigh, she leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes, "…Here. Call home, would you?"

"Uh…yeah…" he shakily punched in the numbers, looking almost sorrowfully at the abused electronic. The screen was cracked, and the casing was ruined. He had to use his pen to press the call button, because the plastic covering was gone.

Someone at the house picked up, and Yuki began to wail. Aya's eyes snapped open, and she painfully moved to hold him. She ended up collapsing against him with a pained groan.

"_Yuki?! Yuki, what's wrong, where are you?!" _ Came Takenaga's frantic voice over the phone. Yuki managed to choke out their location.

By the time the four boys – and Sunako, for good measure – had shown up, Aya had passed out and Yuki was still on the ground, clinging to her.

"Yuki?! Aya?!" Takenaga and Ranmaru rushed to them, while Kyohei and Sunako looked around for possible threats.

Ranmaru eased Aya out of the smaller boy's arms, turning her to see her face. He frowned sagely, tearing off part of her sleeve to wipe at her face. Yuki was relating the tale to Takenaga as he helped the blonde to stand and get into the taxi. Aya was laid out across the four boy's laps, with Yuki holding her head.


	15. Chapter 15: Loss of Sanity

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Fifteen**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: R. This Chapter: PG-13

**Warnings**: My bad sense of humor…**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** "Oh Takenaga-kun, you're the hottest man on Earth! Please make me your bride so that it's perfectly normal for me to peek on you in the bath?!"

**Chapter Fifteen: Loss of Sanity**

Aya woke up feeling horribly sore and raw. Her vision took awhile to clear up, and when it did, she found Yuki at the side of her bed, a half-melted ice pack lying beside his head where he'd rested it on her bed. She sighed and picked it up, pressing it to his eye. The boy woke up with a start, and she laughed.

"Aya!" he reached for the ice pack, holding it up against her face. She brushed him off, but he persisted, "Come on, or else those ugly bruises will last forever!"

She took it back and pressed it to his face instead, laughing, "Yeah, but I'll have the scars to go with 'em, so it's okay. You shouldn't have bruises."

Yuki gave in, holding the ice against his jaw, "…Aya, why…" he paused, not sure what to say.

She leaned back, smiling a little, "…Cause I wanted to. Gotta problem with it?" She reached up, fingers skittering over the bandaging on her face, "So tell me, doc. How bad is it?"

Yuki laughed a little, "Takenaga says you didn't break anything or get a concussion. Ranmaru had one of his girlfriends come over – she's a nurse. But there's not a lot of skin left on your face."

She rubbed thoughtfully at an uncovered patch of skin by her ear, "Well… I always said I wanted to know what a facial was like."

"Are you up?" Takenaga came in, carrying another ice pack and a wet cloth. He gave the second ice pack to Yuki, and moved to unwind the bandages from the girl's head, "How are you? Is everything working?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She brushed off his concern, "Yuki, did you get hurt?"

"What? No." the blonde frowned at her, "Stop worrying about me."

"That's a cruel thing to say." She pouted playfully, sitting up, "Don't worry about trying to wash me. I'm gonna go take a shower." Aya sat up, swinging her legs off the edge of the bed, "I'm all sweaty, and covered in dirt. I might as well." A smile, and the girl stood… or, tried to.

"Uwah! Aya!" Yuki jumped up, catching her awkwardly as she stumbled, "Hey, can't you walk?"

She straightened, balancing with her hands on his shoulders. A faint groan of annoyance escaped her, "…This bites."

There was a brief pause, and Takenaga looked her over, "I think a shower would be a good idea… but I'm not sure you'd be up to taking one by yourself."

Her face reddened, "Wh-What's that mean?!"

"…Where's Sunako-chan?" Yuki asked almost cautiously.

Takenaga looked contrite, "I don't think she would…"

"I'm not taking a bath with you!" she cried out.

"I'm not taking a bath with you."

Yuki made an indistinguishable noise, face turned away from her. She was dressed in a t-shirt and boxers, and Yuki wasn't technically _in_ the bath with her. He wasn't undressed or anything. It should have been okay, right?

"I'm _not_ taking a bath with _you._" She repeated, scrubbing dirt off her face in an effort to hide her blush.

"Okay, I get it already." He complained, "I'm not taking a bath with you, either."

She paused, taking her hands from her face and staring at them. The water washed the dirty red color off them, dripping down to the tile where it swirled around and streamed toward the drain in tiny rivulets. She licked the water and blood off her lips and swallowed the salty taste.

"I'm sorry." She murmured.

"I'm not! I don't wanna be in here with you, it's weird!" he shot back, red-faced. He was met with silence. Cautious, he turned to glance at her, "Wah! Aya!"

When Yuki came hobbling into the girl's bedroom with her half-slung over his shoulder, Takenaga had to laugh as he took her from him, "You could have called someone to help, Yuki."

The boy made a noise and wrapped a towel around the girl's hair as Takenaga worked to dry her as much as he could.

"You should call Noi-chan to help with her." Yuki told him, "Noi-chan is a girl."

"I already tried. She didn't pick up." The other male answered. He paused and grinned at his friend, "But aren't you glad? You got to take a bath with Aya!"

"T-Takenaga!" Yuki's face turned bright red, "Are you sick?! That's not something Takenaga would say!"

Aya shifted, opening her eyes to stare blankly at Takenaga. He stared back.

"Oh… did I pass out?"

He nodded, "You did. It's good that Yuki was there, or you might've drowned."

She flushed but didn't reply.

"Takenaga-kun, you called?" Noi suddenly appeared at the door, cheerful. She paused, finally taking in Yuki and Aya's bruised faces, "…What happened to you two?"

"Noi-chan, you're a girl! Will you help Aya get washed up and changed so I don't have to?!" Yuki suddenly begged.

Aya laughed a bit, scratching her head, "Oh, wow… I'm kinda hurt…"

Takenaga laughed with her, standing to greet Noi and inform her of the situation.

Noi took it in, then agreed to help out the other girl.

"All right, all right! All boys, out of the room!" Noi directed, carefully shooing Takenaga and Yuki out. When they were gone, she turned to Aya, "Okay, let's get you out of those wet clothes."

"So how did you get hurt?" Noi asked conversationally, wrapping a bandage around the other girl's upper arm.

Aya frowned, "Some guys were picking on Yuki. They punched him."

"Oh, wow! I never thought Yuki-kun would get mixed up in something like that! Do you know why?"

"Something about Machiko-chan. I didn't really pay attention."

Noi was quiet for a moment, then suddenly grinned almost dangerously, "…You like Yuki-kun, don't you?"

Aya blinked at her, blank, "Of course I do. Everyone does."

"No, I mean… you have _feelings_ for him, don't you?"

"Oi!" the girl in question blushed hotly, "Why does everyone think—"

"I think he likes you, too."

Aya froze, mouth still open. A faint squeak escaped her, and she turned away, "Nonsense! Yuki is so in love with Machiko-chan… They'll probably get married or something!"

Noi hummed almost disapprovingly, returning to her work, "You sound upset about that."

"Well, I'm not." She shook her head, "Get that thought out of your head."

"You two kissed, didn't you?"

Aya's head whipped around, "Who told you that?!"

"You did!" Noi smiled brightly, then leaned forward, anxious, "What was it like? Was it your first kiss?"

"I-It… it was…" Aya's cheeks turned red, and she straightened, almost guilty, "That's none of your business!"

"You liked it." The brown-haired girl nodded sagely.

"Stop assuming things!"

"You didn't? Ouch…"

"No, wait, I--! Augh! Annoying!"

Noi just laughed, "Here, take your shirt off."

"Why? Looking for hickeys? You won't find any." Aya growled.

"Wow, third base already? Amazing…"

"Shut! Up!"

Takenaga chuckled to himself, standing outside the door. He'd come back to check on them and find out if Noi was going to stay for supper – it had been Ranmaru and Yuki's insistence that he find out – only to come across the highly amusing conversation. Sure, Takenaga was a very proper boy, and sure, listening in on a conversation was very _im_proper… but they were so loud, surely it didn't count. Right? Right.

Yuki was on the phone with Machiko-chan; the girl had called, and in all of his mystery, the boy had refused to talk to her. Machiko had insisted that it was very important and '_could you please just get Yuki-kun out of the bath, I have to talk to him!'_ Takenaga could not refuse a girl's plea; he'd dropped the phone in Yuki's lap and informed him it was a telemarketer.

"Wow, third base already? Amazing…" Noi's voice came, a little muffled by the door.

Whoa. Wait. Back up. What?

"Shut! Up!" Aya wailed, "Quit trying to press your Takenaga fantasies on me!"

What?!

"What?!"

"Not 'what?!' _You're_ the obvious one!" Aya sounded victorious. Her voice changed so she sounded vaguely like Noi, "Oh Takenaga-kun, you're the hottest man on Earth! Please make me your bride so that it's perfectly normal for me to peek on you in the bath?!"

Takenaga felt his face turn red, and he vaguely wondered if he should leave now.

"I-I do not say that!" Noi sounded nervous.

"Course you don't, but I'm trying to keep your fantasies censored. Just a little. You never know who could be listening in, you know."

There was dead silence on the other side of the door.

After a moment, someone got off the bed and walked across the room.

Takenaga made to make a tactical retreat.

"Hey, Takenaga, what's up with your face? It's all red!" Yuki came down the hall just then, calling out.

Retreat failed. Abandon ship. Abort Mission.

The door opened, and both girls peered out at both boys.

Desperate situations call for desperate measures. Takenaga was going to stand up, be a man, and do the right thing.

"Yuki did it!"

The girls turned to stare at the perplexed Yuki, then back to Takenaga. All three, in unison, asked, "Did what?"

"…"

We are here today to mourn the passing of Oda Takenaga's sanity. And now, for a moment of silence.

Ok, no moment of silence. Time to play dumb, "Huh? Nothing. Never mind. Are you staying for dinner, Noi-chan?"

"Suspicious…" Aya murmured, as Noi readily agreed.

"Great! I'll go tell Sunako-chan!" he headed for the kitchen.

"Sunako-chan is in her room, Takenaga. That way." Yuki informed him, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Uh, right!" The dark-haired male turned and headed in the correct direction, intent on hiding in Sunako's room.

"That guy's weird." Aya announced once he was out of hearing range. She turned to Yuki, "…You too. Something wrong?"

"Um… it's nothing…" he glanced away.

Aya dropped a hand on his shoulder, saying sagely, "Yuki, I advise you to never, never, play poker. You suck at lying."

"Machiko-chan's dad… got relocated to Kyoto. They have to move there at the end of the week." He admitted after a pause.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure she'll keep in contact."

Only Noi noticed the hint of guilty excitement in the other girl's eyes.


	16. Chapter 16: Confession II

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Sixteen**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: R. This Chapter: PG-13-ish?

**Warnings**: none, really. Excessive fluff?**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** Why must girls be so nosy, anyway? It seemed like all of them were. Was it something that came from the combination of two X chromosomes?

**Appreciating Things of Beauty**

**Chapter Sixteen: Confession II**

Noi watched with something akin to amusement as Aya picked a carrot out of her food, eyed it suspiciously, and turned to Yuki almost helplessly, "Yuki-kun, you like carrots, don't you?"

He looked over, then laughed a bit, "What, you got one? Sunako-chan usually picks them out for Kyohei and you."

The brown-haired girl watched thoughtfully as Aya passed the carrot to him, then proceeded to suspiciously inspect her food for more vegetables. In doing so, she discreetly pushed aside the parts she didn't like… mostly vegetables.

"Aya, you're so picky! Eat your own food for once!" Ranmaru scolded as he saw Yuki accept another carrot from the girl, "You'll make Yuki fat if you keep giving him your food!"

Aya pouted, "But it was just two carrots… and Yuki doesn't mind. Right Yuki?"

The boy in question just laughed.

A minor squabble started up over her pickiness and how she'll hurt Sunako's feelings and how could she let all these great foods go to waste?!

"Yuki's not a waste!" she piped up cheerfully.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" a vein popped out in Ranmaru's forehead.

Aya laughed and hid behind Yuki, "Oh no, I'm s-so scared! He… He's gonna put me in a dress again!" she was trying hard not to laugh, but it just wasn't working.

Yuki, getting in on the act, held onto her and announced heroically – if it weren't for the laughter – "I'll protect you, Aya!"

"My hero, please do!" she pretended to swoon.

"Oi! Why are you guys so noisy?" Kyohei complained. He was mostly ignored.

Ranmaru and Yuki were engaged in a battle of the chopsticks… one that Yuki was quickly losing. The taller boy knocked his opponent's chopsticks from his hand and shouted in victory.

"My hero, are you hurt?" Aya crooned teasingly.

Noi stood abruptly, drawing everyone's attention as she pointed out Aya, "You, admit your feelings, or I'll… I'll… I'll nail you up in that refrigerator box!" she violently indicated the big crate that currently contained the old, broken refrigerator.

There was a generous amount of staring, and Aya had the decency to blush, grinding her teeth, "You're saying weird things again, Noi-chan. Are you sick?"

"I will!" Noi continued to threaten, "This is pathetic! Tell him! Right now!" she indicated Yuki, who just stared at her, wide-eyed.

"N-Noi-chan… calm down, please…" Takenaga tried to sooth her, "You can't rush things like that."

For a moment, it looked like the brown-haired girl would give up, dropping her hands by her sides and standing with her face lowered.

"There, now—"

"Takano, go empty out that crate." She said suddenly.

"What? No way. I just got done putting that stupid fridge in its box… it's not coming out again." Kyohei leaned back in his chair, looking annoyed.

Aya stood, bowed, and announced, "I apologize, my presence seems to be causing problems today. I'll be in my room." She made a sharp turn and marched toward her room.

Yuki was left looking a bit lost and embarrassed.

Noi blinked after the girl, then went after her, "Hey, don't get mad!"

"I'm not mad."

"What was that all about then?"

"Don't ask stupid questions."

Takenaga looked torn between going after the girls and staying out of it.

Ranmaru coughed, looking amused, "It seems we had no problem turning _her_ into a lady." He snickered, glancing slyly at Yuki, "Good job."

Takenaga, having settled on staying put, reached over to pat the boy on the back.

Aya stared at the wall that her bed was butted up against, her arms crossed on her knees and her nose buried in them. Toki napped beside her.

She _was not_ in love with him.

It was impossible. She, who was tainted both in body and mind, _could not_ love or be loved by him, who was anything _but _tainted.

Maybe she'd enjoyed that kiss, just a little. A lot. But her previous experiences won out; a kiss means nothing.

…Then why did her heart hurt so much?

"Aya-chan? Please let me in, I'm sorry…" Noi was at the door, knocking hesitantly.

"Go away." The room's tenant snapped.

Why was she so upset about this? It didn't make sense.

Because Noi-chan was pressing this so much. That must be it.

It didn't make sense that Noi would press the matter, either. The matter was obvious.

Why must girls be so nosy, anyway? It seemed like all of them were. Was it something that came from the combination of two X chromosomes?

Oh, but Sunako-chan isn't really nosy.

Neither was Aya, not really.

What seemed like hours passed, with Aya just staring at the wall, mind running circles around the idea.

There was another knock at the door, and it creaked open. A voice that made her shiver with surprise and something like excitement called out cautiously, "…Aya?"

"Huh?" she couldn't turn him away, but she didn't want to face him just yet.

"Aya, is something bothering you?" she felt her bed dip as he sat behind her.

"No."

"You're a horrible liar." He prodded.

"I don't want to talk about it."

She heard him take a breath, hold it, and let it out in a rush, "Is it my fault? You've been acting strange… since that 'date.'"

"It's not your fault." She assured.

"Look, I'm not sorry I kissed you, I'm just sorry you hated it so much!" he huffed, and she felt him stand.

"…I didn't… hate it." Her face was red, and she buried it deeper in her arms. This was treading too close to her heart, and she hated it.

He didn't leave, just stood there, silent.

Cautious, Aya turned to peer at him. His back was to her, and it bothered her that she couldn't see his expression.

"Kisses… don't mean anything to me." She told him softly, "I could be kissed by a stranger, and think nothing of it."

His shoulders stiffened.

"I don't know how to handle affection, Yuki. Even just a smile, or a hug. I don't know how to react." Why was she saying this? "I learned to hate things like that, because they scared me."

He turned his head a little, looking confused now, "…Why are you telling me this?"

She flushed, looking away sharply, "I don't know what love is, Yuki. All I know is that it scares me. I know… that I like you. A lot. I know that I'd do anything to see you smile, and I know that I hate seeing you upset. I know that when I saw those guys hitting you, I couldn't think of anything except pounding them into the ground. I know these things, but I don't know what they mean; if they mean that I 'love' you or not." She hunched her shoulders, halfway hoping that her nonsensical rambling would go right over his head and he'd leave her to her thoughts. But a small part of her wanted him to come over and comfort her, to explain this to her.

He did neither, just staring at her, uncertain.

She waited, uncomfortable.

He murmured her name, a questioning tone to it.

"I get it." She said aloud suddenly, "You're in love with Machiko-chan. You'll probably marry her someday. You make a cute couple; I hope you're happy with her."

"…We're not dating anymore."

"Because she's moving away? I'm sorry."

"No. It's because I like someone else."

Aya felt her heart lurch, but she managed to reply, "That's good. I'm sure she's really pretty."

"She is." He agreed, and she felt him move onto her bed again.

Aya nodded to herself.

He sighed and drew up behind her, looping an arm over her shoulders. With her face buried in her arms, she fought back the fluttering in her heart.

Soft lips touched her temple, and warm air ruffle her hair as he spoke, "Aya, look at me."

Her eyes itched, like she was going to cry, and her heart hurt. She couldn't trust her voice. She only shook her head.

Another sigh reached her ears, and a soft, warm body settled against her side. His arm repositioned on her shoulders, and she felt his fingers sift through her hair.

"Stop teasing me." She ordered, but her voice came out soft and breathy; she wasn't sure if he could hear her. Could he hear her heart beating? She certainly could. It was loud, and made her head pound with its nervous fluttering.

"What if I'm not?" he asked quietly. Fingers strayed across her forearms, then down her shins, and he embraced the curled up ball that was Aya.

She didn't respond, even as his breathe came close to her ear, sending chills down her spine as he softly admitted, "Because… I love you."

Her eyes watered, and tears slowly trekked down her face. Why was she so scared?

"Aya?" he sounded unsure, almost worried. Did he think she was rejecting him? The idea seemed impossible to fathom.

She lifted her face, intending on replying, but all thought escaped her as their lips brushed. It was kind of awkward, with their noses bumping into each other, and his mouth brushing against her cheek, inadvertently wiping away a tear. She froze, their lips just barely touching, bright amber eyes staring into bright green ones.

Bright green eyes slipped closed, and soft lips were pressed more firmly against hers. She sighed faintly, allowing him to ravish her mouth as she slowly unwound from her huddle. For a moment, she didn't know what to do with her hands. She finally settled on gripping his shirt, fingers tightening convulsively. Yuki's fingers wound into her hair, smoothed through it, then came to rest against the nape of her neck.

Face flushed, Aya turned her head, breaking the kiss.

He laughed a little bit, saying something. She didn't catch it and asked him to repeat.

"…so beautiful." He breathed, and she blushed.

Looking for something to occupy her mind, she asked quietly, "Why did you come in here?"

"Because you upset Noi-chan, and Takenaga sent me."

"…Sorry."

He laughed, "I'm not."

She looked down at her lap, then up at the ceiling, "Are we… a couple now?"

"Sure. Why not?" he looped his arms loosely around her midsection.

"There are lots of girls at school that won't like this."

"There are lots that'll think I've swapped sides, too. Can't you start wearing the girls' uniform?"

"No, I can't." she smirked a bit, "It's too much fun to dress like a guy."

Yuki almost whined. He was cut short when she continued.

"Maybe _you_ should start wearing the girls' uniform?"

"That's not funny!" he cried loudly, even as she dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Some tiny part of her mind was telling her to be careful; to not get too comfortable.

Yuki shifted beside her, and she suddenly sobered, acutely aware of their new position. He pulled her sideways against his chest, his leg laying over hers, the other supporting her back. He didn't seem to notice, saying something to her.

"Um…" her face flushed, and she shifted, unsure.

He quieted, "…Aya?" his arms tightened, and she twitched a bit. He was really… kinda warm. She turned redder, tucking her head under his chin.

"Hey, um… are you two going to…" The door opened again, and Ranmaru's voice tapered off as he stared at them. It only took him a moment to switch gears, a small smirk on his lips, "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. I'll just have Sunako put your dinner in the fridge. Try to keep it down, kids." He turned to leave.

Yuki turned red, "It's not like that! Ranmaru!"

The door closed.

The pair glanced at each other, then got up to chase after him.


	17. Chapter 17: Adaption

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Seventeen**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: R. This Chapter: maybe a high PG-13?

**Warnings**: innuendo**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** "…Why am I scared of the one thing you're not afraid of?"

**Appreciating Things of Beauty**

**Chapter Seventeen: Adaptation**

It was nearly a week after that day, and as far as Yuki knew, no one knew yet. Ranmaru might have a clue, and Takenaga and Noi seemed to have some form of understanding; he didn't think Kyohei would understand, even if he'd been the one to walk in on them, and Sunako-chan… well, who knew what she was thinking?

They weren't like an actual couple – they didn't go on dates, or hug, or kiss, or anything of the sort. They didn't even hold hands. It was almost disappointing.

She'd completely avoided him the day after that, and then had gone back to being herself shortly after. She seemed strangely hesitant, though. At first, he'd been confused when he'd brushed her hair from her face in an attempt to get her attention, and she'd flinched, looked startled, then looked away almost guiltily. He'd been almost hurt when she had shifted away from him when he'd sat to eat beside her – something he always did – and then stopped coming to lunch all together. At home, she easily avoided any situation that would leave them alone in a room.

It didn't seem like anyone else noticed, but he did, and it was getting annoying.

"Have you seen Aya?" Yuki asked of a girl, just before lunch. He'd noticed the girl was one of 'Aya-kun's' followers, and though it was creepy to admit, most fangirls kept tabs on their boy of choice.

"Oh, Yuki-kun!" she smiled in greeting, blushing a little, "I think Aya-kun went to the office."

He thanked her with a grateful smile and headed for his new destination. He didn't care if she was skipping lunch because of him, or if she had some obscure other reason, but she wasn't going to keep it up.

"It's good that you've finally decided to conform to the school dress code, Aya-kun." He heard a teacher – Akira-sensei, their history teacher -- saying as he passed a classroom. He paused, glancing at the door. The room should've been empty.

"May I ask why the sudden change of heart?" the teacher went on.

"It's… I want to impress someone." Aya's voice came, strangely soft.

The Akira-sensei laughed quietly, "Oh, there's someone you like? I'm sure he would like you better if you just acted like yourself." She laughed again, "Of course, you do realize that most the student body believes you're a boy. Why do you prefer '-kun' over '-chan' anyway?"

"I don't like '-chan.' It's demeaning; it's the same as for pets, and little kids." Aya huffed, "It doesn't matter if the school thinks I'm male or female. This guy already knows."

The teacher was quiet for awhile. Finally, she asked, "Have you told him yet?" Aya must've nodded, because after the pause the teacher continued, "And he said…?"

"He said 'I love you.'" Her voice cracked.

"You like him, don't you? Why are you crying?" there was the rustling of cloth, and Aya sniffled.

"…I don't know what that means." Was the dull response, "I don't know what to do about that. I hate those words."

Outside the door, Yuki slumped against the wall, confusion and hurt written on his face.

The teacher said something that he didn't catch. Aya's voice was shaky as she responded, "The last time I heard that… I was hurt very badly."  
There was a soft sigh, and the teacher soothed, "Not all guys are cruel, Aya-kun. You should give this one a chance."

Yuki turned and slammed open the door in a rush; it wasn't his fault, it was that cruel bastard's fault! How dare a man say something like that to a girl and then hurt her!

Aya was slumped on the floor, wearing the girls' uniform and being gently embraced by Akira-sensei. The girl looked up at him, small tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Yuki-kun, I'm busy. Do you need something?" the teacher stood, moving swiftly to prevent him from seeing her.

He had eyes only for the auburn-haired girl on the floor, "Aya, I'm sorry." He moved past the teacher, kneeling on the floor beside the girl. He gave an encouraging smile, "I know you've been through a lot. Don't think badly of me, for saying what I felt."

She rubbed her eye, mumbling almost guiltily, "'s not your fault."

"Don't you try to blame yourself, either." He told her sternly, and then almost cautiously wrapped his arms around her. She gripped his shirt, uncertain, but not unwilling.

She was quiet a moment, staring at his shoulder, before she turned to frown at him, "…Why am I scared of the one thing you're not afraid of?"

"Hey, that's kind of mean." He whined, pretending to be offended. He switched gears, then, almost grinning, "I guess because new things are scary, right?"

"…I guess." She nodded a bit, accepting his logic.

"And for the record, you don't look all that great in a dress."

A smirk touched her lips, "It's scary, right? Because it's new."

He laughed.

"But even if you did like it… I'm not wearing it." She pushed at his shoulder, a blush on her cheeks, "Get out, so I can change. And you're not allowed to tell anyone about this, either."

"OK, OK." He laughed, standing to help her up. She stared into his eyes for a second, blushed hotly, and then kissed him quickly before shoving him out of the room.

Yuki listened in amusement as the teacher gently teased the girl, then smiled when she finally emerged, looking annoyed. Aya glanced at him, then down, "Can I share some of your bento?"

He laughed, and led her to where the others were eating.

"I think they finally admitted their feelings." Noi mused, turning away from the window. She looked almost wishfully at Takenaga.

He didn't notice, smiling a little as Aya turned the hose on Yuki. The boy tried to dodge it, and was unsuccessful. By the time he was thoroughly drenched, she went back to watering the garden as if it hadn't happened.

"I think so, too." He finally agreed with a nod.

Ranmaru chuckled, plopping down in a chair across the room from them. Noi glared briefly – she'd been all alone with Takenaga-kun until he'd interrupted!

"You know, I saw them cuddling in her bed last week." The redhead announced.

All eyes turned on him.

"Th-They were… doing _that_?!" Noi cried in surprise. Takenaga turned a faint pink at the thought.

Ranmaru didn't respond, kicking his feet up on the armrest and calling a girlfriend on his cell phone.

Noi and Takenaga turned to each other, anxiously discussing. The two _were_ awfully friendly at school… but that was only recently! She was so cold to him for the first part of the week. Maybe they'd fought?

"You don't think Yuki-kun coerced her into it, do you?" Noi asked, looking almost horrified at the prospect.

"No way! Yuki isn't like that!" Takenaga denied, sternly.

"Then maybe she regretted it?"

"What are you two talking about?"

The pair looked up to Yuki and Aya staring at them from the doorway. Both had towels over their heads, and Yuki's shirt was mysteriously missing.

"Is it true?!" Noi cried compulsively, "Did you two really get to third base?!"

"Wh-What?!" both squeaked, red-faced. They glanced at each other, moving further apart before staring at Noi again.

Ranmaru cracked up.

"You! You told them something weird, didn't you?!" Aya cried, pointing violently at the laughing boy. Yuki nodded vigorously, looking upset.

"I only told them what I saw." Ranmaru's smirk looked evil.

"You saw a hug! One hug, no clothing missing, and no kissing and/or caressing!" the girl snapped. Yuki reddened.

"Whaaat?" Noi almost looked disheartened, "Nothing?"

"What kind of look is that?" Aya pouted, crossing her arms, "Don't think weird stuff, or I might have to inform particular people of particular fantasies."

"That's not fair!" the brown-haired girl cried, face reddening. Takenaga turned a bit pink and tried to look clueless. No one noticed.

Aya smiled sweetly, turned around, and stalked from the room, flicking her wet hair as she left.

Yuki, still red in the face, went to leave as well, but was stopped by Takenaga.

"Hey, Yuki-kun, are you two going out?"

Yuki turned to glance at him, then broke out in a smile, "Yeah, sort of." He left without another word.


	18. Chapter 18: The Single

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Eighteen**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: R. This Chapter:

**Warnings**: **  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:**

**Appreciating Things of Beauty **

**Chapter Eighteen: The Single**

Yuki's fangirls began to violently decline. This was odd, because Yuki and Aya refrained from most outward displays of affection around the school… or, anywhere, for that matter. But the blonde boy was alerted to the situation when only the most determined of his fangirls greeted him at the start of school.

Ranmaru watched in amusement as Aya, walking at Yuki's side, almost imperceptibly shifted closer and stared flatly at the girls. She didn't look jealous, or angry, or even like she was warning them away. It was more like 'Pity You.'

He chuckled, and was ignored by all but his own fangirls.

"Uwah! How can you stand this?!" Aya whined, draping her arm over Yuki's shoulders. He only chuckled, greeting his fangirls with a smile. Aya sighed, glancing to the side when she heard some girls giggling amongst themselves.

"Yuki-kun is so feminine looking… It only makes sense that he's like that."

"Right, right! Aya-kun, too!"

"Yo!" Aya appeared before them with a salute and a big smile, "I apologize for listening in, but I heard my name! I hope it's something good!"

The two girls faltered in the face of the unabashed friendliness. The smile hadn't reached her eyes, and she looked almost evil.

"W-We were just saying how great you look today, Aya-kun!"

"Oh! Well thank you!" Aya's smile became brighter, looking pleased, "It's nice of you to say so!" The girl turned tail and trotted to catch up to the others.

Kyohei watched Yuki and Aya laughing, watched how Yuki and Aya sat so much nearer to each other than they used to, watched how they seemed so amazingly _open_ to each other, but closed off from everyone else. For the moment, no one interfered with their little world.

He glanced to Noi and Takenaga; they were almost the same as the other couple, though a little more shy, hesitant.

Ranmaru was eating with one of his fangirls. The pair touched and swapped heated looks often, but there didn't seem to be any connection. Just a lot of _heat_.

Kyohei had never thought of himself as an observant person, but now, while he ate alone – not physically alone; he was with his friends, and Noi-chan, and Ranmaru's fangirl – he became more perceptive of them; he almost felt left out.

Aya had once confided in Takenaga that it 'hurt' to see Yuki scared or upset; she'd fought, probably at the risk of her own life, just to save Yuki from some boys. She confided her worst moment to him, even. Yuki somehow seemed to understand her every move, and would comfort her, even when no one else noticed that she was upset.

Takenaga was first to comfort Noi-chan when she was upset, and Noi-chan would do anything for Takenaga.

…Was that what 'love' was all about? All that pain, and comforting each other, and feeding off each other's emotions?

"…I don't understand."

"Kyohei?" Aya broke free from her and Yuki's little world, turning to stare at him, "What don't you understand?"

He looked away, embarrassed that he'd spoken aloud, "It's nothing."

She glanced at Yuki, then moved over to sit beside Takano, "Hey, is something wrong? You look unhappy." She reached out and nudged his bento box closer to him, laughing a little, "You didn't even scarf down your lunch!"

Takenaga and Noi emerged, and the girl looked amazed, "Wow, something must really be wrong!"

"It's nothing, I say!" he replied defensively, and turned to eat his food in an attempt to appease them. Some small part of his mind was relieved that he was no longer the 'outsider.'

He remained a part of the group for the rest of lunch.

"Hey, Kyohei!" Aya knocked on Kyohei's bedroom door, "I wanna ask you something. Open up, would you?"

Kyohei rolled off his bed and opened the door, glancing at the girl's bright grin. "Huh?"

"You don't have a job right now, do you?"

He winced, shaking his head.

"Great!" her grin grew, "I have a job for you!"

He looked unconvinced, "Oh? And what might that be?" he turned his back on her, pacing back to his bed.

"Modeling." She responded.

He went to slam the door in her face.

She stopped it, "Now, now, before you say 'no', I have a deal for you." She stepped into the room, "You come just one day, and if you honestly dislike it, then I'll buy you lunch, to be claimed at your leisure."

He frowned, considering his options.

She threw in another consideration, "To top it off, I'll be there, and maybe Yuki, if I can recruit him. And it's _modeling_. _Everyone's_ beautiful and/or handsome. You'll fit right in!"

He still paused to think about it.

"They offer free food between shoots. Catered. And pays ¥12,000 (about $98) per photo."

"I'll try it." He suddenly agreed.

She grinned, "Great. Now, let me fetch Yuki, and we'll be on our way. Put on something nice."

"Yuki-kun! Yuki-kun wants to go get a really fun job with Aya-chan and Kyohei-kun, right?" Aya leaned over the back of the chair that Yuki sat in, smiling down at him.

He laughed, looking up at her, "Do I now? What kind of job might it be?"

Takenaga, reading a book on the couch, glanced up, amused. Ranmaru chuckled at them, but didn't end his phone conversation.

"It's modeling."

Yuki had a sudden memory of what was supposed to be Sunako's photo shoot, "Uh… I think I'll pass."

"They won't put you in a dress. I wouldn't let them if they tried." She giggled, "The boss is real cool. Since almost everyone there is an amateur, he says that if you aren't comfortable with something, you don't have to do it."

"How did you get Kyohei to agree?" Takenaga asked, amused.

"I made a deal with him. If he doesn't like it, I'll buy him lunch." She laughed, then turned to Yuki, "Would you like a deal as well?"

He grinned, "I don't know. What do you have to offer?"

"One full-body massage. Free of charge."

"That so?" he looked surprised, "I didn't know you knew that type of thing."

"Here, sit sideways. I'll do your neck as a demo."

He obliged, and she brushed her hands against his neck before rubbing the muscles there with her thumbs, slowly working her way along the back of his neck and shoulders. Yuki all but purred.

Across the room, Ranmaru had apparently ended his call, and he watched Yuki's expression, smiling a bit. Once she'd completed her task, the redhead chuckled, "By the looks of it, Yuki, you've got a girl to be proud of. A fighter, a model, and a masseuse." He grinned, "Hey, could I get a massage, too?"

Aya studiously ignored him, "What do you say, Yuki?"

"…I could go for a deal like that."

She laughed, and pulled him upright, "Yay! Go change into something good looking, and we'll go right now!"


	19. Chapter 19: Photo Shoot

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Nineteen**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: R. This Chapter: PG-13

**Warnings**: …kissing?**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:** The first day on the set…

**Appreciating Things of Beauty**

**Chapter Nineteen: Photo Shoot**

"Are these the boys you mentioned?" Aya's boss, a lanky man with slicked black hair, eyed the two critically.

She nodded, "That's right, Kimura-san. Toyama Yukinojo and Takano Kyohei."

Kimura-san was quiet a moment, then nodded to himself, "They do seem to have potential. Okay, boys, here's the deal: you're pretty much in control. You don't like something, you say so, and it'll be changed. All we do is take the pictures and give you material to work with. We'll send out some of your better pictures, and if someone likes it… well, we'll get to that when it happens."

Both boys nodded, and they were led away by helpers.

"Ah, Kimura-san, there is one more thing. Takano-kun is sort of hesitant about this, and Yuki-kun refuses to dress like a girl."

The boss nodded, and glanced at his clipboard, "…You have a clothing line coming to look at you, and a scout is going around today."

She nodded and bustled off to get ready.

"Hey, kids!"

Yuki and Kyohei paused in their trek back to the dressing room with the photographers' requests in hand. A man in a suit was weaving his way to them.

When he finally reached them, he looked them up and down, then finally asked, "You two are models, right? I haven't seen your photos."

"We just started here today." Yuki replied.

Aya wandered up behind the man, wearing a pair of black suede pants that hugged her hips and a black shirt that left her collarbone and midriff exposed. She spotted the boys, and trotted up to Yuki.

"Yuki, Kyohei, you look so cool!" she cried, inspecting the black muscle tee and jeans Yuki wore, and the black jacket Kyohei wore over a brown shirt. A grin crossed her face, and she laughed, tossing her arms haphazardly about the shorter boy's neck, "What do you think? How do I look?"

"You should dress like this more often; I like it." Yuki replied, amused.

"You're having fun? Both of you?"

Both boys agreed – though Kyohei did so grudgingly.

"You know these boys, Shuiro-chan?" the man asked, and Aya's attention was drawn back to him.

She didn't release Yuki, just tipped her upper body backwards some to look, "Yes, we live together, Douin-san."[[A/N: Douin means 'agent'

Yuki looked off to the side in embarrassment; the girl was _obviously_ not accustomed to wearing low-cut shirts.

He looked them over, then motioned for all three to follow him. Calling to one of his workers, he had the boy take Yuki and Kyohei back to be changed into new outfits.

"How close are you?" the agent suddenly asked of Aya, distractedly sending another of his models on break.

Aya tilted her head, "Yuki – the shorter one – is my boyfriend. Kyohei is our friend. Why?"

The man hummed to himself and ignored the question, directing a few more people in setting a new backdrop. When the boys re-emerged, Kyohei was dressed in a black vest and pants made of vinyl, with lacings up the front and black cuffs. Yuki had another muscle tee, this one white with some kind of blue water design splattered across the front, and pants much like Kyohei's. Aya was sent back next, and told to change into a black tank top with arm bands that went from wrist to elbow, given an arrow-shaped necklace, and quickly had her nails painted black. Eye shadow was dusted over her eyes, and she was sent back out.

The agent directed them into position, Aya in front with the two boys flanking her from behind. They were directed to pose like rock stars, and after a few failed attempts, were soon having photo after photo taken.

Once the agent had tired of that, he stepped in, "All right… Takano-kun, was it? Take five." He dismissed Kyohei for the moment, then came in to direct the remaining pair in a position, calling the camera to pull in closer and someone to change the backdrop.

"Okay, kid, come over here. Listen up, tell me what you think." Yuki came over, and the man spoke to them, "All right, I want you two to stand real close here, like you were doing before, in the hall."

They hesitated, and Aya finally draped her arms over Yuki's shoulders, laughing nervously. He looped his arms about her waist.

"Yes, exactly. Now, just get nice and cozy, like no one's around." He chuckled, "Just don't get _too_ cozy."

Yuki and Aya blushed at the implication, and awkwardly settled in. Aya, quick to adapt, was first to relax, rubbing at Yuki's back with her hands. He glanced up at her, and the two paused, staring into each other's eyes as if in a trance. The agent's approving voice seemed to turn into white noise, and Aya dropped an arm, lowering it to wrap beneath Yuki's and around his abdomen. The cameras started snapping photos as the pair slowly inched toward each other, until their lips touched, and stayed that way, eyes drooping closed.

"They're naturals!" one of the makeup girls whispered excitedly, "Not even shy!" Another girl giggled with her, pink dusting their cheeks.

Kyohei glanced toward the photographed pair, frowning slightly; they were in their own world again. He wondered if they even realized that their picture was being taken.

A small crowd had gathered, and the noise managed to pervade the couple's world, drawing Yuki's attention. He turned his head a little, one green eye peering half-lidded at the camera. Aya sighed, lips brushing his closed eye and fingers reaching up to twine in his hair.

Suddenly, their surroundings came into focus, and Yuki blushed, unconsciously clutching the girl closer. His sudden nervousness reached Aya, and she tensed, gripping his hair and making him wince before she released him, red-faced.

"That was wonderful!" the agent praised, "We'll take a few more of you – hey, can you pull something like that off with Takano-kun?"

Kyohei choked on his water, and Aya hastily replied, "No way!"

"Okay, okay. I have a few more ideas, and then we're done here." He motioned over Kyohei again, and directed them into various poses, shot some more photos, and packed up. Once he'd left, the three were sent off into various directions for the remainder of the hour.

On the way home, Kyohei couldn't help but tease the other two, "I bet they'll use that one of you two hanging on each other in an ad, and it'll be seen all over school! The ad'll have your names and everything!"

Aya looked way less concerned about this than Yuki did. When the blonde boy cried out in frustration at her lack of concern, she shrugged and grinned slyly.

"No it won't. I made up names for us, that they'll use. I'm 'Kitsuno,' you're 'Hideyuki' and Kyohei is 'Hikaru.'"

Yuki blinked wide eyes at her, "Really? How did you come up with those names?"

"Well, I've always like the name 'Kitsuno.' 'Hideyuki' means 'surpassing happiness' and 'Hikaru' because Sunako is always saying Kyohei is the most radiant."

"How long have you been working there?" Kyohei asked suddenly; the realization that she'd been rather comfortable there settled in.

"Awhile. They recruited me off the street." She giggled and dug through the bag she was carrying; the agent had given them the outfits they'd worn in the photos as part of their payment, and Aya had collected something from Kimura-san before they left. After a moment of rummaging, she brandished a magazine – some teen magazine that neither of the boys had ever bothered to read. Flipping to a page that had been dog-eared, she showed them a clothing ad.

"Oh, wow!" Yuki grabbed it from her, staring at the photo, "You're really good!"

In the ad, Aya wore a lavender shirt with long, billowing sleeves of almost-sheer fabric. The shirt had a wide collar that revealed her entire collarbone and dipped to show just a little cleavage. Her arms were crossed, palms lying against the front of the opposite shoulder, head tilted a little to the side with eyes closed and an almost blissful smile on her face.

Aya just laughed at Yuki's approval, waving it off, "It's not like its hard or anything."

The cab they were in pulled up in front of their house, Aya paid the fare, and they headed inside.

"Hey, where are you coming from?" Noi trotted up to them, then paused, seeing the magazine still in Yuki's hands. She rose her eyebrows, "Yuki-kun, you read _Hayari Hime_? I thought only girls read that…?" [AN: Hayari Hime: Fashionable Princess

Yuki flushed at the implication, then thrust the ad at her, grinning triumphantly, "Look!"

Noi stared at the ad for awhile, "…What? Do you like Kitsuno-chan or something?"

Kyohei laughed, "Actually, he's dating her!"

"What?!" Noi looked distraught now, "But I thought you and Aya-chan were going out?! Aya-chan?!" she turned to the other girl, who was, by now, laughing as well, "You're okay with this?!"

"Oh, don't worry about it, Noi-chan! Kitsuno-chan and I have a mutual agreement; we're sharing Yuki." Aya smiled lazily, looping her arms around the boy's neck from behind, "Kitsuno-chan gets him days, and I get him _nights_."

"But… But…" Noi seemed to be confused, until Yuki finally took pity on her.

"'Kitsuno' is just Aya's modeling name. Aya is the girl in the ad."

The brown-haired girl seemed slow to process, her eyes shifting from the ad, to Aya, and back. Aya posed like she did in the ad for the other girl's benefit, and Noi's eyes widened.

"You're a model?!" this realization was quickly followed by, "You're _the_ Kitsuno?!"

"Ah, I'm amazed. You know the name?" Aya looked bored, "I've only been in a few ads. Three or four."

"But you look so pretty in them!" Noi squealed, excited, "What's it like? Do you meet really famous people? Do you get invited to parties? Do old men try to get you to be their trophy wife?!" She turned to Yuki, "Yuki-kun, you'll have to watch her extra close, so she doesn't get taken away by some handsome foreign star, like… like… Brad Pitt! Or Tom Cruise! Or Johnny Depp!!"

Aya laughed, tightening her hold on the small blonde briefly, "Oh, but Yuki is all the 'handsome star' I need." She smiled at him, "And you're blonde, too! Like a foreigner!"

He laughed with her.

Noi's shoulders slumped in confusion, question marks appearing above her head.

"Oh, Noi-chan! You're here!" Takenaga waved from the front door, then approached the group, grinning, "How was the job, Kyohei? Does Aya owe you lunch?"

Kyohei looked disappointed, "…It was okay."

Aya smiled sweetly at him, "You didn't get hit on, did you? Except for Aki-san, but she was just joking with you." Releasing Yuki she grinned at him like a mad fool, "I'm right, aren't I? Come on, admit it!"

"I won't!" he snapped, annoyed.

Aya giggled, flopping a friendly arm over Takenaga's shoulders, "Not even to your best buddy, Bucho-san?!" she looked up at Takenaga and sighed, sagely, patting his shoulder in pity, "You should be hurt, Bucho-san."

He laughed, and Noi giggled, "You got a new job, Kyohei-kun? Where are you working?"

"Kyohei-kun and Yuki-kun are models, just like Aya-chan!" Aya chirped childishly.

"Oh, wow, really?" Noi looked amazed.

"Come on, come on, let's go inside." Takenaga ushered the three into the house, patting Kyohei on the head as he passed and saying softly, "Good job."


	20. Chapter 20: Fight Round One

**Title:** Appreciating Things of Beauty [Chapter Twenty**  
Author: **Endless-Kaoru**  
Pairing: **None yet. **  
Rating: **Overall: R. This Chapter: PG

**Warnings**: **  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Wallflower characters. None. Not even a single one.**  
Summary:**

**Chapter Twenty: Fight (Round One)**

"I wonder if they even used any of our pictures…?" Kyohei wondered aloud, boredly flipping through a magazine that Aya had been carrying. Some kind of catalog she'd picked up before school. He paused, scanning a section of various knives.

"What pictures?" Aya glanced to him, her chopsticks against her lips. "Oh, _those_ pictures. I dunno, they took them a week or so ago, and I haven't heard anything from Kimura-san. Have you?" she looked to Yuki, who just shook his head.

"What pictures?" Noi asked.

"Some kind of clothing company." Yuki just shrugged.

"Oh! So cool! Look, look!" a girl squealed to her friend, waving a magazine, "It's Kitsuno-san! And some guy; he looks sooo sexy…!"

Aya perked up, grinned, and stood, dusting off her school uniform, smoothing her hair, and sauntering up to the girls.

"Oh, Kitsuno-san? She's pretty; may I see?" she nearly purred, smiling her best, eye-catching smile at the girls.

Their cheeks turned a faint hue of pink, "You like Kitsuno-san, too, Aya-kun?"

"I do!" Aya smiled, faked a blush, and leaned in, murmuring, "Don't tell anyone… but I once bought one of those girls' fashion magazines, just to see her picture…"

The girls giggled excitedly, offering up the magazine. Aya smiled gratefully, inspected the magazine, and covered her mouth, disguising her sudden embarrassment with a look of appreciation.

The apparent owner of the magazine watched, then stuttered, "I-If you want… y-you can keep that copy."

"Hm?"

"I-I could get another copy. You can have that one, if you like…"

"A gift?" Aya's eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly, "That's great! Thank you very much!" she bowed deeply, holding the magazine close to her chest as if it were a gem to be treasured.

The girls' faces turned bright red, they squeaked out a 'you're welcome, Aya-kun!' and ran off. Aya giggled, glanced at the magazine, and turned a bit red "Oh, man…"

"Hey, hey, come show it to us!" Ranmaru called.

Aya came over and dangled the ad in front of Yuki's face, moaning, "They used _that_ one…!"

Yuki turned red, and when Kyohei tried to look, he snatched it from her fingers, hiding it.

"What? What one? You guys didn't get naked or something while I was gone, did you?" Kyohei prodded. He paused, looked thoughtful, and then slowly smirked, "Oooohhh…"

"Shut up! Shut up, or I'll shut you up!" Aya squeaked.

Noi peeked at the cover of the magazine, and her face lit up, "Fine, don't show us!" She whipped out a brand new copy, "I haven't been able to read this yet myself. Would you like to read it with me, Takenaga-kun?"

"W-Wait…"

Before either Yuki or Aya could fully protest, Noi had located the ad and opened it for all to see.

Ranmaru, Takenaga, and Noi stared in disbelief.

From the simple piece of paper, Yuki stared back heatedly from the corner of his eye, Aya pressed to his front with her fingers in his hair. Her lips parted ever so slightly, brushing his eyebrow.

"Oh… Oh, wow…" was all Noi could manage, her face a little red, "That's… that's…"

Ranmaru and Takenaga stared intensely at Yuki, who only turned redder and squirmed uncomfortably.

Kyohei, always the blunt one, glanced at the photo, "Yeah, you guys probably would've jumped each other right in front of those cameras, if that crowd hadn't been so loud."

"W-Would not!" the couple protested loudly.

Kyohei only hummed thoughtfully.

"And to think… this is a really popular magazine. It'll be all over town." Noi commented, a little in awe.

"Yeah, but they didn't use their real names. The ad only calls them 'Kitsuno' and 'Hideyuki.' And I guess, since the picture is in black and white, and since Yuki looks so grown up, it doesn't look that much like them." Takenaga compared the image to the pair.

"So…" Ranmaru started smoothly, brushing aside his bangs, "…How was it?"

Silence followed this statement, wherein the couple in question blushed fiercely and refused to meet anyone's gaze.

Aya came home early from work that day, informed Sunako directly but politely that she wouldn't be eating dinner, and then promptly disappeared into her room with some vague comment about not feeling well.

Ranmaru and Takenaga didn't really think much of it until Kyohei and Yuki came home, nearly a half-hour later.

"Hey, did Aya already get here?" Yuki asked; he looked confused.

"Yeah, she came home a half-hour ago. She said she doesn't feel well, then went to bed." Takenaga frowned, glancing over the smaller boy, "Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no, I guess not." Yuki frowned slightly and headed for the girl's room.

Takenaga wasn't sure what had transpired, but not long after Yuki had gone after the girl, he returned and went upstairs to his own room.

"Kyohei?" the dark-haired youth glanced over to his friend questioningly, "Did they get in a fight?"

Kyohei only shrugged.

Shortly before dinner, the landlady made a surprise visit. Except, the boys failed to notice her entrance. They also failed to see her heading for the girls' rooms. In fact, they failed to notice her existence until the moment when she marched into the dining room, looking furious, followed closely by a deathly silent Aya.

"L-Landlady?!" Takenaga started, then stopped.

Aya made a small noise, tugging the landlady's sleeve, "It's no big deal…"

"A-Aya…?" Takenaga stood and went to the girl, peering at her reddened face, "Hey… were you crying?"

The girl withdrew, silent once again.

"How could you just leave a girl to cry alone?!" the landlady raged.

"W-We didn't know!" Kyohei showed her his hands, hoping to look innocent.

Ranmaru nodded his agreement, "She came home and said she was going to sleep. She seemed fine."

"Aya, if something's wrong, you know you can tell us, right?" Takenaga coaxed. He looked perplexed; she wasn't one to cry much, usually.

Aya just shook her head.

The landlady turned to embrace the girl, "What's wrong? Were you hurt?"

Takenaga straightened and looked around, "Where's Yuki at?"

"He's probably still in his room." Ranmaru shrugged.

"I'll go get him, okay, Aya?" the dark-haired youth smiled comfortingly at the girl.

Aya stiffened and snapped, "I don't want to talk to him! I'm fine, so just leave me alone."

The landlady released her, looking confused, but before anyone could get a word in, the girl bolted.

The three boys glanced at each other, confusion and surprise written on their faces.

"So they did have a fight." Ranmaru commented softly.

"Just leave them alone; they'll get over it." Kyohei was already digging into his food again.

Takenaga looked concerned, glancing toward the stairs, "…I think I'll go talk to Yuki."

"What? What's going on?" the landlady demanded.

Ranmaru and Takenaga glanced at each other, and Ranmaru spoke up first, "Aya and Yuki have been dating for sometime now."

"…But this is the first time they've fought."

"…Is that so?" the landlady looked curious.

"But they've only gone on one date, in the very beginning." Kyohei interjected.

The landlady looked toward the stairs, then back towards Aya's room. After a moment of debate, she nodded to herself and left the room flipping open her cell phone.

"What's she doing?"

"I don't know; calling someone."

"Well, duh!"

After a moment, the woman turned on her heel and headed up the stairs. The boys cautiously followed, then remained in the hall as she disappeared into Yuki's room.

Once she'd emerged, she looked triumphant, "I'll send them out to spend time together, to settle this fight and strengthen their bond!"

"…This sounds familiar." Takenaga murmured, staring at Kyohei. The boy blanched and decided to leave right then.


End file.
